Just about everyone in Bangkok has heard the story of Tatiana Vorotilina , the 23 year old Ukraine tennis coach who in August 2015 suffered horrendous injuries in a motorcycle accident in Bangkok. Like so many other tourists and other expats living here she did not have medical or travel insurance and was forced to rely on the support of friends and the fundraising community to pay the one million baht or $30,000 bill which forced her out of the private hospital system to a public hospital with a 50/50 chance of losing her leg.
It may come as no surprise that Thailand is second only to Namibia in terms of road fatalities per 100,000 people, yet people visiting and living here still seem to ignore the risks thinking it will never happen to them. This is particularly disturbing considering medical insurance in Thailand is relatively affordable and access to high quality medical care is really only available to those who have adequate insurance or can provide evidence that they have the ability to pay.
Health insurance in Thailand is not something you can afford to leave until you get round to it. It is an absolute priority and it most concerning when clients quite openly put their next social gathering or trip to Pattaya ahead of meeting with an insurance agent to complete 10 minutes of paperwork. People risk not just their life savings but gamble a lifetime of disability failing to treat it as a priority.
The Australian embassy in Bangkok deals with a death or serious hospitalization case every 2 days. Consular offices here spend an inordinate amount of time visiting expats in hospital trying to solve problems which arise because the victim has been seriously injured, either with no medical insurance or travel insurance which does not cover them for accidents on motorcycles or jet skis.
Many people are still under the mistaken belief that medical care in Thailand is cheap or they don’t need insurance because they have adequate support through the government health system back home. Of course, that’s provided they can manage a flight back to their home country to access it. All of this is of course easily avoidable.
Thai Expat Club offers access to affordable health and medical insurance for foreigners living, visiting or working in Thailand. We deal almost exclusively with Bupa and NZI for a higher range of benefits at affordable prices. We help clients avoid the confusion which comes from not being able to speak the language or communicate satisfactory with staff in Thai Insurance Companies. Our service is FREE and we often save people money by offering a plan which is more closely matched to their lifestyle and budget.
Contact Thai Expat Club today and let us help you with your health insurance requirements.
Tel. 089-897-9437 or visit our website:
https://thaitravelinsurance.com/
Related stories
http://www.gofundme.com/SaveTatyanasLeg
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3212338/Nicole-Fitzsimons-killed-motorbike-accident-Koh-Samui-Thailand.html
https://youtu.be/MHu7JAcaSr0
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