Bupa and AEK Udon a different experince then before

My first usage of Bupa was a very painless experience.

Got food poisonings. Of all the Gin joints, Man I have never gotten ill from food here I have ate in places that had dirt floors with dogs and chickens freely walking through the eating area and never have gotten sick. This came for something at home. Perhap the wife's last dich effort to use the last drop of milk from a container. Possibly from me trying to make a bean soup from and longer opened package then I would care to admit. Never had it before I have new found respect of the bugger.

I really only had one experience before this, perhaps four years ago when the car hit the wife and I on the bike. The Dr, signed the release and we were out of there.

The Dr, signs the release a hour and half an no progress. finished with the confrontation with the international office explaiinng to me they were staff and that was the proceedure. With me repsonding I'm not staff forms are signed you got a problem with BUPA I paid for the insurance. Incidentally the time was charged to BUPA as after release patient care. So they didnt like it talk BUPA it was BYE BYE.

When I got the itemized list, man was that bugger padded. I was thinking if it was was under 7K I would pay it, that would be less would have been less then my 10% discount I would be losing. But, it was over 11K one day. Admittely I had a nice room so 8K was in services. They called my home a 1730 hours telling me BUPA paid the bill, I guess I was supposed to sit there for six hours while they dealt wih BUPA. I had offered to pay cash and deal with BUPA. If you haven't had the experience when you are released your not a 100% yet the only thing I wanted feeling better was the comfort of my home.

Was it BUPA or AEK with the padded bill I don't know. Care I was say professionally for what I was dealing with adequate met the proceedures. Personal touch forget it, one E.R. nurse was the only person that I actually saw showing any impathy. If your thinking staffing, not the problem I was in the high rent district five nurses for that floor, they had three patients on it. Whose main activity seemed to be sitting on their butts chit chatting for the shift.

Thought I had came close with the first nurse until she found out I was married and then she was a like a streak out the door. I now understand just how important it is to visit people here when they are in the hospital and why wifes insist on staying overnight with you. The only time you see nurse is when you call them or they have to make an entry on a patient care form. You have to notify them when the I.V. alarm goes off, they won't hear it .

My poor wife she was being stuck in the middle with the billing something I hate. I finally asked the " staff member " if she spoke in english in perfect english she explained she did. Nothing angers me more then being talked around and leaving my wife stuck with the mess. I had major chunks of that womans hind in. I explained to her plain and simple the forms were signed and it fifteen minutes I was going home. Her response the bill had been faxed to BUPA. I told her give me the bill I would go to the ATM and pay it. She is standing there with that typical Thai smile, saying I hate your guts. I didn't buy that in any way shape of form and called her on it. I said what are smiling about I see nothing l pleasant going on here. She started back into the song and dance. My repsonse get out of my room and get your work done.

My wife is scared to death of anything that resembles authority so I simply told her to give me the car keys, she could or stay her choice but I was going home. Fifteen minutes up I grabbed my dirty bag and out the door I went. Walked to the door as I reached the elevator first time I ever saw those nurses really move in my entire experience. I thinked them for their help.

Went to the International office gave them my card and told the manager you got a problem call me and will come back and resolved Monday. To which she became indignant and stated to me they were staff. I told them I know that and it didn't frighten me as it did my wife. Plain and simple I didn't work for her she had no authority over me.

True to form my wife waited I went home went back and picked her up in about 30 Mins. They called later saying that the bill was paid. So I was supposed to sit in that room witing for for hours receiving no treatment whatsoever nor and contact with staff the I didn't instigate. The entire time they are billing BUPA for. I don't think so.

Did I get the treatment I needed yes would I have gotten that elsewhere yes, not a good experience, for the monies paid.

Two things really stood out on the bill, I noticed the nursing staff kept pushing Thai food, I knew they got farrang food from the Chareon. Lets see my stomache was a mess what I really needed was spicey food. I ordered toast and she finally admitted I could get a " American Breakfast from across the street. Toast was all I felt confident handling, my normal breakfast anyway. I had Thai food for lunch as may stomache was settling just took all the chilis out of it, Really tastey, I understood the push when I signed for the meal they padded it on the bill.

One thing on the bill 300 baht stood out an addition to the room fee for usage of hospital equipment I guess that was for the I.V holder,cause nothing else was used.

The billing hey BUPA or AEK take your choice. Patient care not the AEK is used to be, sad really.

Hi Bumper,
Sorry to here about your troubles. Hope you are better now.
I think it was far to much. One of my daughters had a bike accident this year. Head injury, helmet over handle bars. She went to Panyaventer Hospital. Formally Pablo. Stayed four days and three nights and her mother stayed in room with her and had her meals there. Single bed room with toilet, shower, T.V. etc. and very good treatment and attention from doctors and staff.
She was covered by insurance and the total bill was less than 10K. On the bill the room was 1K a day.
Cheers Doug.

Oh they hve converted me for sure. I have had better luck wiht that hopsital as well. But, I wasn't driving

Sorry to hear of the trouble both sickness and personal with hospital. Guess hospital has changed since last time I was there.

I have to ask, did the Bumper ambulance do as good a job as it did for me. Sure enjoyed the ride in the bed.

Yes performed well, Poi panicked that surprised me called a neighbor. He was here in two minutes and off we went.

Panyaventer Hospital is also my local hospital of choice. seem to have a good rapport with couple docs there. staff also pleasant and effecient. doc and nurse will talk to me instead of treating me like a piece of furniture. new intermational rep, John, seems to go out of his way to please. if they don't know the answer, the don't BS you, instead, they find the correct answer.

it is a private/profit hospital, so the do try to get you to overnight or prescribe meds you don't need or have no clue if going to be effective, but i find that to be a normal thai thing. love to try to treat symptoms before knowing the cause. just say NO. they won't argue. also no need to buy meds from there dispensary, if you know what they are and what you are doing, though notice, they seem to be more reasonalbly priced than before, and always ask or made in thailand or generic, no international name brand at 10 times the cost.

new intermational rep, John, seems to go out of his way to please. if they don't know the answer, the don't BS you, instead, they find the correct answer.

John the Thai rep? Don't build him up too much. Went in and talked to him about getting health insurance. All he offered were discounts but took my number and said he would get back to me. That was late last year and still waiting.

Sorry to hear you had such a rotten experience at AEK, Ray. Sounds like the only fun you had all day long was the nurse trying to hit on you. Does wonders for the libido. Well, maybe not. Don't know what she looked like and your wife probably ran her outta there.

Shame those Nurses uniforms are a bit old maid looking, about six inches shorter would be nice

I had the pleasure of staying in AEK Udon, May this year.
I could find no fault with the facilities, the expertise of the doctors and nursing staff.
Those admin girls in the blue suits, and the pretty nurses raised my blood pressure.
It was like that scene from Carry on Doctor, where Sidney James is lying in bed straped up to a blood pressure machine. In walks Barbera Windsor and Sids blood pressure machine explodes.

I to could have said the same thing before, but that is simply what happened.

John the Thai rep? Don't build him up too much. Went in and talked to him about getting health insurance. All he offered were discounts but took my number and said he would get back to me. That was late last year and still waiting. [

Sorry to hear you had such a rotten experience at AEK, Ray. Sounds like the only fun you had all day long was the nurse trying to hit on you. Does wonders for the libido. Well, maybe not. Don't know what she looked like and your wife probably ran her outta there.

John is involved in the farang husband thing and his wife and i have to say they are a very nice couple.. ive asked him about the insurance thing but it seems Panyavej has sort of teamed with AIA, and done away with its own gold Card system... i have told him that if his hospital were to cut out the middle man and let us pay for a health plan monthly, that it would probably be the most popular hospital in udon!! but deaf ears me thinks and maybe he doesnt want to rock the boat with his boss and AIA etc etc

Ya P.R. guy only has so much influence. I really liked he Thai guy befoe him, I haven't spent anytime with John seems pleasant enough. My wife was in there last year no problem with Bupa at all. Simple and timely check out, the one thing that really angered me was the idea that I had to sit here for hours while hey played the insurance ganme even offered to pay the bill cah and work it out later, Fell on deaf ears.

When I needed doctors reports for Social Security I had been being treated at AEK could not get anything that would have. First report they gave me was about the bike accident which had nothing to do with my back whatsoever. I finally got copies of my Records went to Palo, took a few tries but they weer patient and we finally got it done.

The right report in the first place would havce saved an appeal attorney fees and five years of frustrations. I can understand them not being up to speed on thise kind of reports I can't undersand d the arrogance of not listening when someone explins to them item for tiem what needs to be done.

I got it at Palo I didn't at AEK, the customer rep was the key he talked to the doctors, not me. They had told me everyhting that was needed in the report I just was not getting written on paper. Being a reired cop understand detailed reports, just lost the abilty to qwrite as I did before.

My only objecion to Pal is the patinet rooms neee to be claened bate, noticiable thick dist on the wlith boards doesn't speak well of cleaning, I don't know if they got on the cleaning crews on it or not. But, we did talk about in it a consructive way. I want my house a clean a possible, I want a hospital room even cleaner. But, that was seveal years ago. My wife had her even surgery there it was an elective surgery, no nohting to do with Dolly Parton and plastic surgons

As such I never believed AIA ( wifes insurance) would pay for it, but hey they tried for me.

I'm still being treated I see the same doctor everytime I like that. Had I been in condition to make a choice that is where I would have went in the first place. Not putting AEK down far as I can tell they are a good hospital, just not my cup of tea anylonger.

So the standing order now is take me there. They have one interesting program or at least they did a perarranged ambulance service they actually survey where your house is, that will cut times down. One of these day I need to check the ambulance and see if hey equipped a paramedics are. If they do it is probably worh it, Serious heart attack a set of paddles in the right hands can save you life, if they can get to you time. That one is hard to say, traffic is slow here and never yeilds to emergency equipment. So if you have to make the trip to your house an back it's not going to help. If treatment can start on the way back maybe.

The ambulance is well equipped,. the Nurses are NOT allowed to use the defib or admin drugs etc ( O2 yes , maybe aspirin on conuslt ) for chest pain , heart attack .

Dont expect any resuscitation skills when comparing this to western based Paramedic services.

They provide Basic Life Support only. They have a defib, ventilator , but for show and not use.