7 replies to this topic

[BORG]

You read a lot these days about how Thailand has become a center for foreigners seeking medical care at a fraction of what they might pay at home in a private hospital. I personally know of several guys who have come here for holiday to have various medical procedures, especially cosmetic surgery that almost never gets covered by most insurance.

A friend of mine recently got what was disgnosed as an attack of gall stones while vacationing in Pattaya. He was advised to undergo immediate surgery here but opted instead to take medication and return home for an opinion from his own doctor. By the time he got home, he was pain free and his doctor could find nothing wrong other than a possible diagnosis of a bad attack of indigestion and gas.

Private hospitals catering to farangs in Thailand are "for profit" institutions, which means they don't make money unless they treat you for something. My friend almost got a gall bladder operation that he doesn't seem to have needed. He saved a lot of money and who knows what medical complications by not being treated in Thailand.

[Birch]

I personally know of several guys who have come here for holiday to have various medical procedures, especially cosmetic surgery that almost never gets covered by most insurance.

I had some eyelid surgery done here about 2 years ago at a clinic specializing in such work but I had to have corrective surgery done on one eye to repair a drooping lid from what was done here. It ended up costing me double of what I would have paid to get it done at home in the first place.

PS: I had no trouble posting today for the first time in 3 weeks.

[SyAm]

I wonder how one could ever get some objective appraisal of the quality of medical care in places like India, Thailand or Singapore, all of which seem to be developing a special niche for foreigners seeking less expensive medical procedures than they can get in their home countries. They may all be cheaper than the USA or EU, but are they comparable in the quality of care ?

[TheYenta]

You medical care is as good as the doctor who is in charge of your treatment. I have serious doubts that the average doctor on staff in India or Thailand has the same competence as his or her European or American counterpart.

One of the bothersome things about treatment at a hospital here in Thailand is that hospitals have their own pharmacies which are in a position to make more money and profit by the number of drugs prescribed by the staff physician. Look at the average out-patient hospital bill and you'll see that the bulk of the bill is for drugs, not doctor's care.

The system acts as an incentive for staff doctors to prescribe more drugs than are necessary for treatment.

[gay_grampa]

Over the years I have read glowing references from countless posters on different boards for the quality of Dental surgery in Thailand. My own experience of Thai dentists is that they are the best I have been treated by anywhere in the world and usually at less than half the cost of a Western dentist.

As for Medical procedures my experience is that I have always been treated by a highly trained doctor who has qualified at one of the Thai universities and then gone abroad to receive specialist training. Treatment has always been professional, quick, efficient and effective but perhaps most noticable was that kindness has been shown by all medical staff.

Costs are rising but overall I would prefer to be treated here than in my own country where there are waiting lists, incompetance, high costs and bureaucracy.

[Haloi]

Costs are rising but overall I would prefer to be treated here than in my own country where there are waiting lists, incompetance, high costs and bureaucracy.

I wonder if you would share with us what country that is.

[loeploh]

Have you ever seen the documentary Sico from Michel moore( 9/11 and bowling for Columbine) ?

Please go to see it and see for yourself how Sico the American health systym is!!


quote:A friend of mine recently got what was disgnosed as an attack of gall stones while vacationing in Pattaya. He was advised to undergo immediate surgery here but opted instead to take medication and return home for an opinion from his own doctor. By the time he got home, he was pain free and his doctor could find nothing wrong other than a possible diagnosis of a bad attack of indigestion and gas.


This is what happened to me in the States !!!!! twenty years ago .

[Garcia]

Treatment has always been professional, quick, efficient and effective but perhaps most noticable was that kindness has been shown by all medical staff.

That's true, but you can say the same thing about most four-star hotels. My experience with the private hospital system in Thailand is that it's run like a good, efficient hotel, including the lavish amenities, but that doesn't mean you are getting competent medical advice or care when you entrust them with your health or life. I also think a lot of these hospotal staff have a tendency to churn care, just like a broker who buys and sells just to generate income for himself.