AND YOU HAVE JUST GOT TO HAVE THESE PILLS

(pic ANNIE tripped in classroom)

Well I guess we have all had it at one time or other – those Thai hospital bills when you go in for a minor ailment in Thailand and are sent packing with piles of pills and a big bill.


It’s happened to me many times and I have vowed I will not tolerate it again. Yesterday Annie my five year old daughter had an accident at school. She tripped and cut her chin.

We got frantic calls from the school saying they were taking her to the Emergency Room at a hospital in Minburi and the school asked mum and dad to go and see her.

It did not look serious but they wanted to put stitches in. They wanted me to stay for the minor surgery but would not let me hold her hand. Her cries brought tears to my eyes. But it was over quickly.

Then came the sit down with the doctor time. He wanted to give her antibiotics and painkillers.
Antibiotics? In my day muy mum just used to clean and sterilise the wound on the spot.  Painkillers – the most pain inflicted was during the operation. Now the pain had gone.

I objected. The doctor insisted. She needs antibiotics or the wound could become infected. Duh.  She needs painkillers, or she might be in pain.  I bowed in resignation one more time, even though I no longer look up to many doctors here.  I have even been conned into overnight stays for Matthew, 3, costing over 20,000 baht with all those plus pluses.

The process is, first the –doctor –  then you pay the cashier- then you pick up your pills. My bill for a small classroom accident was 3,998 Thai baht £84.46p. Its only then that you find out what the pills actually are.

Then I looked at the painkillers. 886 baht (£17.69) for a small bottle of paracetamol syrup! – Actually the bottle was built to contain, according to the label 250 mgs of paracetamol.

If I had known he was giving me paracetamol I could have bought it for a few baht at the nearest 7/11.

And the antibiotic was Augmentin coming in at 962 (£20.36) baht for powder which did not register on my kitchen scales – at the bottom of a 228 mg bottle.

Surgery was 2000 baht (£42.31) and the rest of the bills comrpised 50 baht charges well – see above

Wow – can anyone better those prices? This stuff seems to go for peanuts on the net.