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Galileo
Joined: 10 Oct 2006 Posts: 63
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Posted: Sun May 07, 2017 5:43 pm Post subject: Daughter visits Vietnam to save teacher's life |
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"A daughter saved her father’s life by wrapping his gangrene-infected foot in a freezer bag to bring him home from Vietnam."
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/daughter-saves-dads-life-wrapping-6709934
I just came across this. I remember him from about 8-9 years ago when he was the director at a certain school in Saigon. The conditions at the Vietnamese hospital where he was staying sound truly horrible. I'm sorry to hear that things turned out the way they did. |
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SeldomSeen
Joined: 07 Feb 2013 Posts: 40
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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While we feel for the victim and are incredibly relieved that the family managed to fly him home despite his condition there are some lessons here for all of us.
First of all, get insurance. But what does that cover you for? Has anyone had any good or bad experiences with insurers. If so, please share it.
More importantly, what's the process if you fall desperately ill one day, say, in the middle of the road (or another vehicle hits you)? You would hope that somehow you would be taken to hospital but how would they treat you? Do they have a process for trying to establish the identity of this unknown patient, or do they simply hope that a friend, relative or employer will simply happen to contact the right hospital eventually, (and have the language abilities to do this), so that the person's identity will be established? While (thankfully) I don't have any first hand knowledge of this and understand that emergency treatment in Vietnamese hospitals is adequate my understanding is that after-care and comfort of the patients is not. How does a hospital establish that a (foreign or local) patient has medical insurance or not that qualifies them to be transferred to an "international" hospital where we would hope that after-care facilities are better and, even if they had this information, would the staff have the initiative to begin this process?
You can see where I am coming from. Insurance may help, but without a good friend to look out for you I'm not sure the process for getting you the best help will even start.
Perhaps the least we should do is ensure that we have health insurance and are carrying the card at all times (perhaps a little difficult when swimming, running or in a gym). Is it more important to have a friend or someone to rely on who (hopefully) will figure out that you are sick, somehow find out which hospital you are at, and take care of the insurance details as well as contacting family as well? This is a tall order to ask anyone.
If anyone has any personal experience or advice to offer here I am sure we would all welcome it. |
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Mattingly
Joined: 03 Jul 2008 Posts: 249
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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The individual did not take care of himself.
This is why this whole scenario happened.
He's an adult. He let things slide. |
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tellersquill
Joined: 08 Apr 2016 Posts: 94
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 6:49 pm Post subject: |
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My new job covers accidents and illness - except traffic accidents as I don't have a license. But I've also been told I need a bike to get to the two different schools.
My boss basically told me that all the tefl workers take the chance every day.
Scary stuff! |
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rogerwilco
Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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tellersquill wrote: |
My new job covers accidents and illness - except traffic accidents as I don't have a license. But I've also been told I need a bike to get to the two different schools.
My boss basically told me that all the tefl workers take the chance every day.
Scary stuff! |
Motorbike insurance will only cover you if you have a license. |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010 Posts: 946 Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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Posted: Tue May 09, 2017 12:31 am Post subject: |
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SeldomSeen wrote: |
First of all, get insurance. |
Word. Why anybody would even consider spending time in a developing country without health insurance is beyond me! Or, for that matter, a developed country in which there is no reciprocal agreement (for example, Aussie citizens can be (or at least used to be) treated in the public system in the UK for free and vice versa). I've heard so many sob stories from dopey backpackers (and probably more than a few scammers) in Southeast Asia about them coming undone and, when you ask about their insurance, they say they haven't got any. I've got very little sympathy. If you can't afford the insurance then you can't afford to travel or relocate. Sorry, I just see it as that simple. I've used World Nomads for years (currently on them at the moment) and they seem to be pretty good. However, I've only made one claim and that was in relation to expenses incurred by a delayed flight. They paid up about 10 days after getting the claim.
tellersquill wrote: |
My new job covers accidents and illness - except traffic accidents as I don't have a license. But I've also been told I need a bike to get to the two different schools.
My boss basically told me that all the tefl workers take the chance every day.
Scary stuff! |
So, you don't have a UK license. If you did, then you could just convert it to a Vietnamese one. The process is a bit of a pain in the neck, but it's doable. As you don't, [and things may have changed since my day], that would mean that you would have to do the full test (which includes a written exam in Vietnamese). You can drive without a license (plenty of people do), but, like you said, if you get into an accident then you are not covered. Alternatively, you can just catch xe oms/motorbike taxis which are everywhere and cheap. |
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tellersquill
Joined: 08 Apr 2016 Posts: 94
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Posted: Tue May 09, 2017 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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rogerwilco wrote: |
tellersquill wrote: |
My new job covers accidents and illness - except traffic accidents as I don't have a license. But I've also been told I need a bike to get to the two different schools.
My boss basically told me that all the tefl workers take the chance every day.
Scary stuff! |
Motorbike insurance will only cover you if you have a license. |
Yeah, I don't have a license.
I actually spoke with a bunch of expats on facebook and they are all in the same boat - none of them have a license and yet they are all reliant on their bikes. Each day they have to take a risk and theres not much of a way around it. |
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rogerwilco
Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 6:51 am Post subject: |
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tellersquill wrote: |
Each day they have to take a risk and theres not much of a way around it. |
The way around it is to get a Vietnamese license.
You might be only thinking about yourself, but you also need insurance to cover any harm to others. What will you do if you hurt or kill someone ? |
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AV15
Joined: 27 Feb 2017 Posts: 51
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Posted: Thu May 11, 2017 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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Health insurance is one of the biggest scams going. You're covered for everything that's not likely to happen (i.e. getting attacked by a shark, or hit by lightning), but they don't cover for anything that makes you likely to have to make a claim at some point (i.e. heart attacks, car accidents, cancer, strokes). They'll try anything to weasle out of paying. I.e. lets say you get hit by a motorbike while you're walking down the road. However, you happen to have had a few alcoholic drinks prior to this. You won't be covered, despite it being totally irrelevant to the accident. If you catch one of those motorbike taxis and it has an accident, you're unlikely to be covered. Why not? Because if Vietnam is anything like Thailand, you won't be wearing a helmet since the motorbike guys don't even carry spare helmets (and save me the nonsense about how you're going to cart around a helmet all day just in case you need to get a moto taxi, literally no one does this).
And anything that does actually provide proper coverage of everything likely to happen, with no loopholes that allow the company to wriggle out of paying will cost a fortune. Don't fall for the scam. |
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rogerwilco
Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549
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Posted: Thu May 11, 2017 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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AV15 wrote: |
Health insurance is one of the biggest scams going. You're covered for everything that's not likely to happen (i.e. getting attacked by a shark, or hit by lightning), but they don't cover for anything that makes you likely to have to make a claim at some point (i.e. heart attacks, car accidents, cancer, strokes). They'll try anything to weasle out of paying. I.e. lets say you get hit by a motorbike while you're walking down the road. However, you happen to have had a few alcoholic drinks prior to this. You won't be covered, despite it being totally irrelevant to the accident. If you catch one of those motorbike taxis and it has an accident, you're unlikely to be covered. Why not? Because if Vietnam is anything like Thailand, you won't be wearing a helmet since the motorbike guys don't even carry spare helmets (and save me the nonsense about how you're going to cart around a helmet all day just in case you need to get a moto taxi, literally no one does this).
And anything that does actually provide proper coverage of everything likely to happen, with no loopholes that allow the company to wriggle out of paying will cost a fortune. Don't fall for the scam. |
Really ?
You are encouraging people to be irresponsible ?
Have you ever visited Vietnam before ?
. |
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AV15
Joined: 27 Feb 2017 Posts: 51
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Posted: Thu May 11, 2017 9:27 pm Post subject: |
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rogerwilco wrote: |
Really ?
You are encouraging people to be irresponsible ?
Have you ever visited Vietnam before ?
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Irresponsible? No, I just don't want people scammed by the health insurance racket. All the stuff that you likely need to claim for will not be covered anyway. The majority of problems - i.e. emergency situations where you cannot immediately return to the West for free treatment will NOT be covered. The big one - traffic accidents - will certainly not be covered, on account of the no-helmet thing (for motorbike taxis). Having insurance and getting on a motorbike taxi is EXACTLY the same as not having insurance at all, since they won't be paying out unless you cart a helmet around with you at all times (and no one does this).
It's a scam. No I've not been to Vietnam, but I've spent plenty of time in Thailand and Cambodia, and can't imagine it's much different. The mototaxis don't carry spare helmets, and if you were under the influence of alcohol at the time of any problem - even if it's got no relevance to the problem - the company won't pay out. Why give them free money? |
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RustyShackleford
Joined: 13 May 2013 Posts: 449
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Posted: Fri May 12, 2017 2:01 am Post subject: |
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I dunno about Thailand, but while certainly I'm sure there a few xe oms in Vietnam who juiced up, they ALWAYS carry a spare helmet because the cops LOVE to collect their coffee money. Never seen one who doesn't even in the days before Grab bike and all that jazz.
For what it's worth, I was in a motorbike accident not too long ago and my workplace insurance fully covered me, no problem. Alcohol would have certainly been an issue, however, yes. |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010 Posts: 946 Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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Posted: Fri May 12, 2017 12:11 pm Post subject: |
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Firstly, Rusty is correct about the spare helmets and, on the rare occasions when I have come across a xe om that didn't have one then I just refused to ride with them. It was amazing how quickly they found a helmet from somebody when there was a few dong at stake. Alternatively, you can just carry your own.
Secondly, advising that people live in a developing country without health or travel insurance is, in my view, very poor counsel. I'm sorry, but, that's just the way I see it. I had to deal with insurance companies all the time in my previous career and my experience with them has always been, without exception, if you had a legitimate claim, then they paid up. True, that was back in the West and that's why I'm still using a Western insurance provider and, sure, there are caveats to what they will cover. For example, if you break your leg in an traffic accident when you were driving around drunk and/or without a driving license then, of course, that's going to be on you. Shop around when looking for a policy, read about what's covered and get something fairly comprehensive that you are happy with. There will be some things that you will not be covered for, but, if it's a decent policy, then there will be plenty of circumstances in which you will be.
Anyway, we are all adults here and people can work it out for themselves. If somebody decides that they don't want to get insurance then that's fine. No skin off my nose. However, like I said before, I think that's a crazy decision and I, for one, will have very little sympathy if you get yourself into strife. |
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AV15
Joined: 27 Feb 2017 Posts: 51
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Posted: Fri May 12, 2017 4:00 pm Post subject: |
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Well it's very different than Thailand then. In Thailand, I've never seen a motorbike taxi have a spare helmet for a passenger. Literally everyone gets on the back of those mototaxis without a helmet, and if that motobike crashes, highly unlikely you'll be covered.
I'd say the majority of expat 'problems' that they'll need insurance for are related to traffic incidents or stuff that happens after the consumption of alcohol. If you get cancer or a long term condition, you can always fly back home for treatment (unless you come from the USA with its backwards healthcare system). It's important for people to know that often these likely problems are not covered. I.e. let's say you go out for a few drinks, then get jumped by a bunch of locals for your valuables while you're walking home. They give you a beating for good measure. Go to the hospital, and the insurance won't pay out as you've previously been drinking. It's a complete joke the number of exclusions in most policies - and those that truly do cover everything are prohibitively expensive if you're earning anything like a normal salary (i.e. let's say $1,500-$2,000 a month in most Asian countries).
If you're young (20s-30s) you can probably get covered against stuff like a heart attack or a stroke, and for a reasonable price. That's because almost no one has to claim on these grounds at that age! Once you're in your 50s or 60s, you won't be getting coverage for these common problems, and if you do you'll pay through the nose for it. There's still the problems with alcohol though and traffic - which you don't get covered for unless you meet a set of circumstances that are unlikely to be met in a lot of countries (though apparently not in Vietnam, at least with regard to motorbike taxis). |
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flyingmonkey
Joined: 13 Sep 2009 Posts: 24
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