Well-off patients opt for medical services in neighbouring country
(KPL) Some Lao patients are seeking a better option for their health services and treatment in a neighbouring country that is more satisfactory than the services provided in local hospitals.
The Lao PDR is a landlocked country with about 6 million populations and shares common borders with Thailand.
It was obviously that there is not the less number of the Lao patients crossing Lao-Thai Friendship Bridges or by boats to get a well treatment service in Thai hospital. Because they think that it will be better choice than some Lao hospitals especially high technology, good service with hospitality. SEA Write However the Lao PDR has more than four main hospitals, which are providing service with a trust to the Lao patients, while some of them need to seek more facility for their family member to ensure that new choice may be more satisfied. “We do not have any rights to ban the patients crossing the bridges to treat in Thai hospital because it is their rights accessible to better health care service,” said Dr Som Ock Kingsada, Director of Setthathirath Hospital yesterday.
“If Lao PDR wants to decrease the number of Lao patients to use the Thai hospital service the government should open more opportunities for businessmen to invest in the health sector such as the establishment of private hospital in Laos,” he continued. “This would be a way can reduce the number of patients go out of country and it is also a compatibility with neighbouring hospitals.
Dr Som Ock, Director of Setthathirath Hospital has explained that the foreign currency in the nation might flow to neighbouring country if the government does not have detailed plan on providing the favourable for patients. Now some Lao patients do not want to be in the domestic hospitals because they believed that bad service and off of out date medical equipment and technology.
An unnamed official said that the salary, extra-money and good social-welfare policy are the most important factor that would be an indicator of medical staff’s take care with their current patients.
“The best service in Lao hospital depends on extra money has been presented to the medical staff before receiving service,” many people said.
This is unfortunate, but should not be turned into a Thai-Lao political issue. If I had the money I would go to get treatment at the best facility in the world, regardless of which country it was in. The same is true of most people. Only an idiot would go to a Lao hospital that offered worse services over a Thai hospital if they had a serious condition and the money to fix it. Things will change. Japanese funding has already produced a new Vientiane hospital and the first trained Western MD (a pholsena) has just graduated from Australia. But as usual Laos is going to have to improve slowly over time.
I am just curious why Dr. Som Ock asked for the private investment in the health sector particularly building private hospital instead of asking for more budget support from the government to improve the quality of service in the public hospitals. I believe if there is a private hospital, able doctors and nurses would quit their job in the public hospitals to work in the private one with better salary. then, what will happen to the public hospital???????????
Americans now, because we are nearly all fat, go to Thailand for open heart surgery. Why? Its way cheaper there, and they do just as good of a job as they do here in America.
When I was in Laos, I got a back stomach ache. I knew it was because of food, but my grandmother there was scared it was Malaria (last time I eat pork oragans from a vendor...). I went to Mahosot Hospital and well, to be honest, I was really scared. I live in America and well the facilities here are top knotch, right? I walked into a room with an older lady and she drew my blood. I was sorta of surprised at the professionalism she had. She asked me in English how I felt. Needles were wrapped in plastic and then thrown away after it was used on me. The bed I was laying had a plastic wrap over it!
Thats my little story. I say the Lao hostpitals could use some improvement, but Mahosot wasn't that bad. Then again, it was Vientiane.
My baby died because of laziness and not being responsibility in the Setthathirath hospital,
every hospital in Laos are ran by the governement that is why there are only stupid/lazy peopel working there they don't care much about patient but they care about money
