HEALTHCARE: AMERICA vs. THAILAND

HEALTHCARE:  AMERICA vs. THAILAND
The American system is complicated while the Thai counterpart is kept simple and almost free. But both are politicized beyond the cure of medical science. 

American healthcare system is complicated,
so complicated it’s become the most serious political issue. 

In Thailand, on the contrary,  we simply provide almost free state-run hospital healthcare to everyone, rich or poor. For developing countries to be able to provide free healthcare to their citizens they must have enough state-run hospitals and keep drug cost down. For any country to be able to provide good healthcare system to its citizens, drug, doctor, and hospital service cost must be kept down to respectable minimum level.

Medical science education in Thailand produces doctors and nurses who go on working in state-run and private hospitals around the countries. Those Thai doctors and nurses who are educated abroad usually return home to work in both private and state-run hospitals. It’s normal to find doctors from Thai state-run hospitals working double shifts at private hospitals.

By medical science qualification, healthcare and hospital facilities in Thailand, state-run or private, are world-standard, if not world-class. In Thailand, those who can afford and prefer private hospitals do so out of want for luxury and convenience, not solely for the quality of care. Both private and state-run hospital facilities in Thailand provide basically good quality-services., regardless of the difference in hospital bills.

Thailand has for many years been among the world's top destination for medical tourism, many from the Middle East, Japan, Europe, and even America.

However, the best healthcare, to me, is personal healthcare. I keep myself healthy by living and eating moderately, and a regular exercise. At 68 I have been healthy all along with no serious health issues. But accidents could not be avoided at any age. Healthcare plan is still important.  I once had an eye operation at Phaya Thai 2, a private hospital, by a doctor from Raj Vithee Hospital, a government-run hospital. Over 18 months ago I survived a serious road accident. My broken bones operation at Vibhavadi Hospital was performed by in-house Vibhavadi doctors together with some experts from an army hospital. This is a living proof that best doctors in private hospitals in Thailand are usually students of doctor-professors at state hospitals - Chulalongkorn, Siri Raj, Mahidol, Pra Mongkut, etc.

In a 'so-called' free and democratic society like America, doctors (and lawyers) fees play an important role in keeping society so unequal and less democratic. 

Doctors and lawyers of America can rise up and unite, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN by lowering their fees -  just kidding!

Somkiat Onwimon
15 March 2017