Medical emergencies - Is it still necessary to go to Bangkok?

[Mèo Đen]

No they didn't check anything or ask any questions, they just told me what it was going to cost, then got on with it.

Exactly my experience with Central Hospital, expensive procedures like an IVP or CT scan that were in the order of $200-$400 I was told the price, I agreed and they got on with it. Procedures such as ultrasound or serology which are much less expensive, I just requested them and they did the job. I was presented with the bill on leaving.

[florian]

Thanks for sharing your experience, you basically went to a luxury hospital, paid very high prices cash and got good service.
I think that is what people would expect and these hospitals cater to exactly people like you.
I also think this applies only to the top 10% of expats here who can do the same as you. What would've happened if you didn't have the cash?
Any decent options for people not a high budget?

[gavinmac]

What would've happened if you didn't have the cash?

He would have just signed the quote, had them perform the surgery, and then not paid the bill. Duh.

[Mèo Đen]

Any decent options for people not a high budget?

Make sure that you have a good health insurance.

[Mèo Đen]

What would've happened if you didn't have the cash?

He would have just signed the quote, had them perform the surgery, and then not paid the bill. Duh.

I was never asked to sign anything, they just took my word that I would pay.

[Barang_doa_slae]

Thanks for sharing your experience, you basically went to a luxury hospital, paid very high prices cash and got good service.
I think that is what people would expect and these hospitals cater to exactly people like you.
I also think this applies only to the top 10% of expats here who can do the same as you. What would've happened if you didn't have the cash?
Any decent options for people not a high budget?

You die, next question please.

[gavinmac]

I was never asked to sign anything, they just took my word that I would pay.

It's interesting, ricecakes posted a story a few years back about Calmette refusing to do a head scan on his nephew because the family only had $80 on them and the scan cost $125. Calmette might have a different policy and not extend credit like this.

Or maybe the hospitals only require payment up front from Khmers while they will treat white people based on nothing more than a promise of future payment.

[Abou-Gor]

Any decent options for people not a high budget?

Make sure that you have a good health insurance.

Good health insurance? (smashes head against wall) There is , as I was reminded yesterday, always the euthanasia option.

[Abou-Gor]

I was never asked to sign anything, they just took my word that I would pay.

It's interesting, ricecakes posted a story a few years back about Calmette refusing to do a head scan on his nephew because the family only had $80 on them and the scan cost $125. Calmette might have a different policy and not extend credit like this.

Or maybe the hospitals only require payment up front from Khmers while they will treat white people based on nothing more than a promise of future payment.

Still?

I was told at Calmette by one of their head trauma specialists that if it is an emergency, they will operate without proof of payment. I didn't ask if that was based on discrimination though. I mean, even the two singlets would have had family in the west (they would have probably assumed?)

[pete w]

My brother's bill was up to $1800 bill in icu at Calmette before they requested any cash, and that was because he was to be transferred to a different area.Same deal there; a $1300 bill which we settled when he was released and they returned his passport, which, naturally enough, they had been holding.

[nabanga]

The new Khema in BKK1 does look very professional - we had a tour round when it opened - but when we went to get our baby some standard innocculations they wanted $500 for one set. Our last kid had them all in Thailand and one set was about $30.
In PP, the Jap hospital across the river does it for free, and the Pasteur Institute does the set for $100 with no wait - cheaper if you wait in line an hour or two.
When we showed the doctor and nurse the inoculation record book from Thailand with receipts, they couldn't say why their drugs cost 18x more - and the brand names they were offering were the same.

I just wouldn't trust a medical centre that takes part in this kind of gouging. It would have been cheaper for us to actually fly to Bangkok, stay in a guesthouse, drink a dozen beers, get the injections for the baby, and fly back.

[gavinmac]

A dozen beers is way too much for a baby to drink.

[eddie blake]

A dozen beers is way too much for a baby to drink.

[Abou-Gor]

What do you get if you cross a Chinese person with a Khmer person?

their drugs cost 18x more - and the brand names they were offering were the same.