Bangkok Hospital Pattaya Charity Sale Saturday, Dec. 15th...

[travelerjim]

The Bangkok Hospital Pattaya - will be having their annual Charity Sale Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007
in the Lobby of the new building from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Santa Claus will be there from 10:00AM until noon - those with children may enjoy a no-cost visit to Santa (please bring a camera).

The Charity Sale is intended to allow members of the community to get rid of those old clothes, tools, and household items
that have piled up around the house or condo - whether they are no longer useful, or even worn out,
and have them sold at the sale, with the entire proceeds going to Charity.

So please bring them to the Bangkok Hospital on Saturday, about 9:00 AM if possible -
a little later is OK, too. Our volunteers will load our two tables with your goods and tools, and sell them.

Anything not sold by 2:00 PM will go to the highest bidder, so there will be no returns unless you request it.

We will also be collecting items at 2401 Mark-Land Hotel - will be happy to have them delivered there, or we can arrange to pick your items up if you wish. We also need volunteers to man our two tables - absolutely no experience necessary.

Please call Richard Smith at 038-412197, 089-244-9523 or email at rick2@pattayacityexpatsclub.com
to volunteer as a salesperson for an hour two, and/or supply items for sale. This is usually a fun event.

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This item appeared in this weeks newsletter from the Pattaya City Expats Club...

TravelerJim

Before donating a single baht or item to this hospital keep in mind that this greedy hospital has only one real interest...MONEY. Remember that this is the hospital that threw a farang English teacher back in a pick up truck after he was run over by a truck because he had no ID, cash or proof on insurance upon his arrival in their ER. He bled to death on his way to another hospital some miles away.

This hospital only practices medicine on those with money or insurance in hand...all others these heartless bastards will let die without lifting a hand. To think that this hospital would be involved in any kind of a charity is a huge joke!!!!!

If you really wish to participate in a true charity from truly loving people providing real charity and love to children donate to Fred and Diane's orphanage here in Pattaya.

[thaiworthy-old]

I think your concern is well-founded Tom. Maybe we should all email Richard Smith and voice that opinion. I would be interested in learning more about the incident you mentioned. I am sure if I hunt for it, I will find it here. Maybe we should send blood-stained clothing to him at the same time as the email, saying it could have been my clothing if I hadn't the money to be admitted!

Thank you for your support for my post, thaiworthy. Surely these money hungry bastards realize that the very first thing that will happen if you are out cold in the middle of a street is that your wallet will be stolen. Think about that guys!!!! You have an accident, are knocked out, your pocket is picked, you arrive a Bangkok Pattaya.....and you are sent away without any treament to die in the back of a pick up truck!!!!! This could have been any of us, and sooner or later it will be one of us!

The incident was reported by an English language paper (Pattaya People if I recall correctly, but could be mistaken on that). It was also hashed out through numerous postings at Thaivisa.com. There were two sides to the story - as is often the case. Several friends of the injured farang, none of who was present at the hospital, if I recall the articles and postings correctly, stated the hospital did nothing and sent him on to another hospital in the back of a pick up. However, the Hospital in response to these allegations, stated that the injured person was treated and stabilized. Further, they sent him to another hospital in an ambulance with a nurse and doctor on board because they did not have a sufficient supply of his blood type on hand.

I can not say, which is the accurate version. However, my own experiences tends to fall on the side of the Hospital. My bf had a motorcycle accident about a month ago and was taken by a friend to Bangkok Hospital Pattaya - about 4am. He did not have his ID card with him. His friend telephoned me about the accident - I drove to the Hospital arriving about 45 minutes after he got there. When I arrived, he was in the process of being treated (fortunately no broken bones). He had not been asked to put up a deposit or for his ID. After he was treated, including some stitches, and being bandaged up (his friend and I told him he looked like a mummy), we then went to the cashier to pick up medicines and pay the bill (4,300 Baht).

A couple months ago, I went to the Hospital with what I suspected was Dengue Fever. It was - the hemorrhagic strain. I was promptly admitted to the Hospital and spent two nights receiving IV and medication along with additional blood tests, Doctor's visits, etc. The subject of money did not come up before or during this stay. When I was released, we went to the cashier/pharmacy counter to get medicines and pay the bill. The total bill was around $900 US.

A couple of years ago, I went to the Emergency room at this hospital - broken wrist and fractured skull from a fall. I spent three days and two nights in the hospital. Surgery to insert pins in the wrist was done under general anesthesia by an Orthopedic Surgeon. I was also examined by a neurologist and a plastic surgeon (who would have operated on the skull fracture, but it turned out to not be necessary). Again, I was not asked to pay up front or make a deposit - only upon being released.

So, I can only judge from my own experiences. This is not to say I have never been asked by this Hospital to put up a deposit. I have, but these were for scheduled treatment or diagnostic tests - not emergency situations.

[krobbie]

If the man was stabilized why would he still need more blood for transfusion?

Is it not usual to deliver the extra blood to the hospital as opposed to send the patient to get it elsewhere?

You may well be right but it does make you think.

"The Hospital in response to these allegations, stated that the injured person was treated and stabilized. Further, they sent him to another hospital in an ambulance with a nurse and doctor on board because they did not have a sufficient supply of his blood type on hand."

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Take a second and think about what a ridiculous statement this is......stabilized, by its very definition means that the persons life is no longer in immediate danger...and the guy dies in an ambulance with a doctor and nurse on board. If this wasn't a big lie they must have totally incompetent doctors.

Multiple witnesses said he was put in a pick up and bled to death on route to the public hospital in Sirhacha. The newspaper did its due diligence cheking out the story; otherwise they would have been sued by the hospital. The hospital is simply covering its ass, and not very effectively if one does a little thinking about their purported explanation.

Also, keep in mind that Bangkok Pattaya Hospital is by all accounts the most expensive hospital in Thailand: even more expensive than Bumrungrad which is, also, by all account the better hospital. Money is their sole motivation for being there make no mistake about it.

I am not sure if the charity is Bangkok Pattaya Hospital or the event is just sponsored by the hospital for several charities.

I needed emergency service earlier this year. I was having a heart attack. I walked into the emergency room at BPH and as soon as I said "chest pain" I was whisked into the treatment room. It seemed that at least 6 people went to work and gave me medicine and whatever. The doctor said I should be admitted to CCU (cardiac care unit). At this point someone from admission came and had me sign the admittance papers AND asked for a deposit. I also gave them my Blue Cross Insurance card. I was admitted for 6 days and had 2 stents inserted since the found blocked arteries. As they were wheeling me to the room where they would insert the stents a person came and asked for a 400,000 baht deposit. I said I had insurance and they agreed but had not yet received a guarantee of payment from Blue Cross. I understood and asked for my mobile phone. I called Blue Cross in the US, gave my member id and they said they would fax the grantee to BPH in 2 minutes. Sure enough Blue Cross did and away I went. I feel the procedure may not have happened if I had not been able to pay 50% up front. The final bill was about 800,000 baht. In the US if I did not have insurance I think thy would have done the procedure and then billed. Not sure.

Anyway, I am very happy that there is a first class international hospital in Pattaya. However, if I had a choice I would have rather had the proceedure at Bumrungrad in Bangkok. I don't know what the difference in price would be but I know that the doctors at Bumrungrad have more experience and most have had advance training overseas in the US or Switzerland. I felt my treatment at BPH was very good and the staff that took care of me excellent.

[jimnbkk]

this past June. Gall bladder. Yes, they were very insistent about me paying - to the point of annoyance. I had no locally recognizable insurance, so had to use my USAA credit card. Bless USAA. They increased my limit without too much question, and covered the bills as presented. The hospital hit me up every day or so for another debit on my credit card. Maybe they were afraid I would die and not pay for something, I don't know. On the day of my discharge, I was accompanied by a very insistent, but friendly, young lady to the accountant where I settled up the final accounting before I was escorted to the exit.

The paperwork provided by BPH to cover everything was outstanding. They even included a video on DVD of the operation. My insurance company here in the States, although well known for quibbling over nits, paid without question on my first submission. (I gave my doctor here the video. I have no idea what it showed; I had no desire to watch it)

My opinion about BPH: It is a fine hospital, but they went way overboard when they built it: Marble bathrooms, huge rooms, luxury beyond need. The place is relatively deserted; few rooms were occupied on the floor where I spent 6 days. I only saw one other patient the whole time I was there. The nurses station on my floor was always staffed by 4 or 5 young ladies, at least one or two were RNs. (As an aside, there was a notebook computer available with free wi-fi in my room if I wanted it!) I noticed on subsequent out-patient visits that there were Thai patients seeing doctors and getting prescriptions filled, but apparently not checking into the hospital. I wondered at the time about this, but now think maybe it is because of the cost at BPH. Medically, BPH seems to have all the latest gadgets: I was Xrayed, CT-Scanned, and sonogrammed within an hour of my arrival in the Emergency Room. I was in the operating room within two hours, and it was at night! I have no real problem with the competence of the doctor, or the treatment received. It was expensive, but still cheaper than the same scenario would have been here in the states.

I expect to continue to spend time in LOS, hoping that health issues don't require further exploration of the Thai/Falang health system, but at the same time feeling secure that I'll get good treatment if worse comes to worse.

This is not to say I have never been asked by this Hospital to put up a deposit. I have, but these were for scheduled treatment or diagnostic tests - not emergency situations.

It sounds as if you are registered at the hospital and have a considerable history of treatment / tests / payment there, in which case they would not only hold all your personal details, credit history there, etc, but would also know whether you are likely to try "doing a runner" after being treated.

BPH are there to maximise profits, no more and no less. They are not a charity, do not treat patients "pro bono", and as far as I know have never made any pretence at doing so.

One point I would warn potential patients of is paying by credit card. Whilst it would be hard to prove that my credit card had been copied there when I used it to pay a bill, and even harder to prove who by, I can only say that prior to a copy / copies of it being used in a number of Asian countries the only place I used it was BPH; a friend of mine had a similar experience. If you have to pay by credit card at BPH (or, indeed, anywhere else) then insist it never leaves your sight.