It can be a daunting prospect having to visit a hospital in a foreign country, you can’t speak the language and you’re scared of what might happen but you need not be.
Here on Koh Phangan there is Bandon Hospital, Bandon is a private hospital which matches the European and Western standards which visitors to the island will be used to.
They also have a Western worker, Barni. Barni’s job is to liaise with foreign patients, we went to meet and speak to Barni to find out more about what he does so you can feel more comfortable...
So Barni, how did you end up on Koh Phangan?
It’s the same as most other people, I first came on holiday and now I live and work here! It was exactly one year ago when I arrived, my friend had been staying for a couple years already as a diving instructor and she told me to come on holiday.
She gave me a job cleaning a house and looking after a dog, I moved on and did another job the same and then decided to do a Thai language course.
During this time I got an infection from a mosquito bite and came here to Bandon Hospital, they cut it open and I had to come for three weeks for the cleaning of the wound. This is when I met Patrick, we talked and he said they needed more staff for Samui and Phangan. This was our first contact and then next time he said he was going to take the job in Samui so they needed someone to replace him on Phangan and did I want to do it. I worked for the first time on Full Moon night in September then started to work.
Tell us about your job...
I take care of tourists at the hospital and deal with insurance to pay for the bills. I also help with caring for them to tell them what is being done and the cost.
If they’re an out patient then they pay up front and then can claim it back themselves. I also translate between doctor and patient as far as I can, I’m learning to read and write Thai and am getting better with the language!
What is the process with insurance?
If a patient comes in and it is recommended they stay over night or a few days, if they have something like dengue fever then I have to contact their insurance company and tell them that we have a patient with us I try to get a payment guarantee from this insurance.
I send the information to the insurance company like the medical report, passport copy, flight details and a daily update. The insurance may have questions for me or I get the info from the patient. If they are an out patient then they have to pay upfront and then claim it back themselves.
What can be some issues in regards to insurance?
I haven’t had any problems with insurance companies so far but it is known that different countries have different insurance issues. The insurance companies in Central Europe for example are mostly easy to contact and good to work with. But for some other countries the conversation can be quite difficult and the payment can take longer to pay the bills.
Often I have to contact them many times to get the guarantee. In the case that the insurance does not cover and does not pay, then our patient has to do so. Travellers should do research into insurance.
What are the most common things that tourists come into hospital for?
Infections, many tourists think the same way I did, that it’s only a small thing but with the climate here it’s more difficult for things to heal and it goes fast to an infection. People wait two or three days for it to get worse and then when they get here it is already big and red.
These infections have to be cut open or the patient has to stay in hospital for a few days with an infusion.
There are two ways to deal with an infection, to cut open the wound and drain it or to stay here for some time and get an infusion to clean the blood. With any open wound it is best to get help and ask a doctor straight away, to get a cream rather than waiting.
I think swimming in the ocean is what people do wrong, many people think the salt in the water disinfects but is doesn’t, bacteria gets in from the water and it gets worse.
What is good about Bandon Hospital?
I was in hospital myself in Indonesia, in a government hospital, it was big and very poor, no proper equipment and the nurses didn’t speak English. It’s different at Bandon as here the nurses speak a little English so they can tell you what is wrong and what to do, even if the doctor is away the nurses can clean the wound and know what to do.
People can go to a government hospital, that’s not private to see what it’s like. I Think then they will definitely want to go private to Bandon. Here it is really different as it is more professional and equal to European standards where the doctor is on call 24 hours a day.
What is it like at Bandon Hospital during Full moon?
I work for 24 hrs starting in the morning of the Full moon day. During the day some patients come in, but between 1am and 6am at night it is quite busy. Many patients come in drunk and tourists who have had accidents. We also get people coming in after one or two days of the party.
Sometimes if they are nice and kind then it is easy but if they are too drunk and cannot speak it is difficult to handle. Some of them don't want to stay, so we have to work together as they could get hurt outside. It is not easy, but I do my best. The nurses handle them well, they are very professional.
What do you plan for the future, it must be nice working so closely with the Thai community...
Yes it is, my english is improving as well as my Thai and it’s a complete different job to the one I did in Germany. I was working in the iron metal industry and now here I get to talk to different nationalities so it is completely different and never gets boring as every patient has different injuries and problems, nothing is the same each day.
What do you enjoy about the island in your free time?
I still enjoy Koh Phangan, I work and then also spend two days a week going to Thai school. I like to go to the beach after work for sunset, I love the sunset here on the island. My plan is to stay for a couple of time to earn some money and save a little, then travel around Asia or go to the Philippines and New Zealand.
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