Hospitals - Show Me The Money ~ Pattaya Rag

For a number of years I have had annual medicals at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital (BPH) and I have always been satisfied with the service provided. They are a little too keen to prescribe expensive medication for even the most minor ailment but other than that, no complaints. In 2005, BPH identified a problem that they advised should be monitored with quarterly scans. In 2006, I thought I'd get a second opinion and had my annual medical at the Samitivej Hospital, Sriracha. The Samitivej advised that the condition identified by BPH was minor and regular scans were unnecessary. Ahah, thought I, got you. BPH's just been on the make. My 'got you, aren't I smart' moment was short lived. The Samitivej then went on to report a totally differing set of test results to BPH. Nothing about the above normal cholesterol reported by hospitals overseas and BPH. What Samitivej did identify for the first time ever was a high PSA count which indicated possible problems with my prostate. Just mention prostate and I'm prostrate. Before the gears of my brain had re-engaged, nursing staff had led me to a specialist for the 'fickle finger' test. A test which carried an additional charge. The proctologist told me I should return for a further 'finger' in early 2007, (3 months later), as he would be taking a well earned holiday in Canada not long after that. Well earned through me I thought. I left the Samitivej still in a daze and without any form of printed medical report, (something BPH is good at), and so no hard evidence of what was actually reported.

As soon as I got home and I went on the Internet to read up on my PSA results. It turns out that my score was well below the number deemed a cause for concern in the UK and USA. I then sat and wondered if the Samitivej could be mercenary enough to mess with my state of mind just to make money out of me. Unfortunately, I think the answer is yes. I'm now of the opinion that for a farang to get value for money from a Thai hospital he needs to be genuinely ill. At least then he will get what he's paying for. If you go in for a check up, for confirmation of good health, then you are viewed as nothing more than a credit card to fleece. Bit like taking your car to a mechanic back home. Apologies to all 'cowboys' of the mechanical persuasion residing in Pattaya. Sadly, as far as the medical profession goes, it appears that the Hippocratic Oath has become the Hypocrisy Oath, a.k.a. How Can We Make More Money Oath.

If you've received bad news from a check-up at a local hospital that requires you to have frequent tests, then I recommend you get a second opinion - but probably not from Samitivej. My next medical will be back at BPH so it will be interesting to see what they report. More later.

If you have a local hospital you are happy with, please let me know by e-mail or comment so I can pass it on.

Update - Just browsing the net before posting my blog and found this post on the Teak Door Forum by Luckydog:

Quote: If you get bad news and the suggestion that you have an expensive Operation or treatment from a Quack here in LOS. Don't let him touch you until you have had a second opinion at a different Hospital OK? A Urologist in Sri Racha said I had Prostate Cancer. TREATMENT: 25000bht to cut my balls off. 30000bht for an Injection every three months (for life) and 250bht for a daily pill. Second opinion....... The Urologist in Sirijit Queens Hospital in Sattahip did a 10000bht biopsy and said I was ok accept for a bit of Prostate inflamation which was cleared up with antibiotics. See what I mean ? Unquote

Sierra Tangos

Want to try something different in Bangkok - Try an escort with a bod to die for. Her web site is here. Short time as in 2 hours, 5,000Baht.... I don't think I need bother about the 4hr, 10hr and 24hr rates. That said, there ain't nothing she won't do.

Cherry Bar, Soi 8 - Staff birthday parties scheduled for 1st and 12th September 2007

Suspected English drug dealer caught by Pattaya police - In the early hours of Wednesday Morning, Police Lieutenant Colonel Santi from Pattaya Police Station held a press con ference at the Special Investigation Unit to announce the arrest of a suspected English Drug Dealer. Mr. Michael Snell aged 48 from Bedworth in Warwickshire, England was arrested at the LV Mansions at the Soi 17 intersection on Pattaya Third Road as the result of an undercover operation whereby a Police Operative purchased a quantity of class 1 drugs from the suspect. Inside Room Number 517 Police found a total of 16 bags of Crystal Methamphetamine totaling 16.1g. Mr. Snell is now being questioned further but is now facing a charge of dealing in a class 1 drug which could lead to a substantial prison sentence if convicted in Court. [via Pattaya City News]

At least it's not just farang bars that are being targeted - The daily checks on entertainment venues around Pattaya are continuing and we joined a group of Banglamung District Officials accompanied by Pattaya Police Officers as they checked a number of Karaoke Bars on Pattaya Third Road in the Central Pattaya area. 50 customers and employees of the bars were checked for drugs and 7 failed urine tests confirming they had recently ingested class 1 drugs. 4 of the bars checked were found not to possess licenses and were shut down. [via Pattaya City News]

Videohybrid is essentially an illegal sharing ring for movies, TV, shows, anime, and cartoons. In some sense it is similar to Peekvid, except that they let users request videos. Registered users can then vote up requests in a Digg-like fashion, and the first person who fulfills the request earns all of the points it has racked up. So what kind of media has been scrounged up b y their users? Here’s the top ten most popular videos that they have successfully acquired in one way or another:

Most of those videos, as you can probably tell, are still in the theaters. The recording quality isn’t great, but what’s more interesting is that they are available for those of you

who can’t wait for them to come out on video and don’t want to see them in the theater. Videohybrid also lets you download each movie’s associated files so that you can watch them at your own leisure on your computer. Most of them are are in the FLV file format, and you’ll need a specialized player such as GOM or VLC to play them.

It will be interesting to see how long this service survives since their WHOIS information says that they are located in the United States (Washington specifically). I have a feeling that the MPAA isn’t going to let this float by for too much longer. [via Cybernet]

On August 15th it was determined that AllofMP3.com had operated within the bounds of Russian law and had not infringed on copyright law as accused. Of course the law in Russia is much different than in other countries, but in this case it really doesn’t matter. With the Russian government giving them the all-clear, AllofMP3.com have just announced on their blog that “service will be resumed in the foreseeable future.”

An elderly gentleman went to the local drug store and handed the pharmacist a prescription for the little blue Viagra pill. The pharmacist asked "How many do you want?" The man replied, "Just a few, maybe a half dozen. I cut each one into four pieces." The pharmacist said, "That's too small a dose. That won't even get you through intimacy". The old fellow said, "Oh, I'm past eighty years old and I don't even think about intimacy anymore. I just want it to stick out far enough so I don't pee on my new golf shoes".