Premature delivery

On the following Monday my wife telephoned to ask if they had a gastro-enteritis specialist because I was suffering from severe abdominal pain, to which they replied, “Yes, but only on Mondays from 8am to 5pm.” We drove straight to the hospital, but upon arrival were told the specialist wasn’t available, so I would be seeing a doctor “on loan” from the main Bangkok Hospital in Bangkok. The word was that, since the hospital was new, they had so far recruit only a few doctors. 

Apart from the shortage of doctors, the hospital was in a dreadful state, with continual ear-shattering noise from heavy drilling and hammering, gut-wrenching smells from the toilets and drains in the A&E department, and a lack of direction signs.

Prior to even seeing a doctor, I had to register, then sign a form to confirm I had received the treatment I came for (which I hadn’t), and then sign another form authorising the hospital to obtain my medical-history files from Udon Thani. It was only after completing those time-consuming tasks that I was allowed to see the “on-loan” doctor, who agreed that my case was serious and arranged for a strong pain-killing injection. I was told to rest for 30 minutes and then allowed to go. Nothing about admittance was ever mentioned. I left and was immediately admitted as an in-patient at a rival hospital and was discharged the following afternoon, having received the necessary treatment from a GI specialist there.

I am a Perfect Diamond member of the Bangkok Hospital group’s Chivawattana programme. In the case of its new Khon Kaen Hospital, it is my opinion that it was nowhere near ready to be opened to the public. The building had not been completed, there was a shortage of doctors, and there were long delays before I received even temporary treatment. It strongly suggests that care of patients comes second to obtaining money from them. 

Pete

Kalasin