Every year, millions of foreigners enjoy everything that The Land of Smiles has to offer. Holidaying, working, or maybe retired in the kingdom, life will probably seem as perfect as it possibly could be. But, there are moments in everyone’s life when the idyll feels threatened. Most commonly, a medical emergency is the unplanned occurrence which upsets the status quo and risks turning a perfect life upside down.
It is a fact of life that anyone can face a medical emergency, suddenly and out of the blue we can be struck down any number of conditions that require professional medical help. Sickness, a stroke, heart attack, we tend not prepare for such things, and they throw even the most ordered of lives into chaos. In addition to this there is the possibility of becoming the victim of an accident, and It is at these times that emergency medical care is vital.
When arriving in a foreign country, there are many aspects of day to day life which will feel alien to what is the indoctrinated norm that a person is accustomed to. In the workplace, during leisure time, driving, or just as a pedestrian walking down the road, the rules of life, written and unwritten, often fly in the face of what is perceived to be correct. In reality, these things are not incorrect, they are simply different.
It is being thrust into an environment and lifestyle that is entirely new and unknown that raises the risk of becoming an unwitting victim of an accident. A person’s self-awareness needs to be redirected and refocused to the dangers and risks that they find around them, which may be very different to what they are used to. This doesn’t happen instantly, understanding all the nuances of a new life and culture, including its risks, is a learning curve that takes time.
What Denotes a Medical Emergency?
A “Threat to life or limb” may be a common phrase used to describe a medical emergency, although perhaps inexact, descriptively, it does loosely sum things up. More articulately, a medical emergency is seen as illness or accident which poses an immediate threat to a person’s life or long term health, requiring the assistance of qualified medical personnel away from the hospital environment. Such situations can occur at home, in the street, the workplace, in fact just about anywhere.
Many medical emergencies require the skills of personnel qualified in differing areas of medicine. Efficient emergency services are able to coordinate care which is multi-faceted. Bangkok’s emergency departments are well versed in synchronizing paramedics, medical technicians, emergency physicians, anesthesiologists and medical support staff at a moment’s notice.
A Medical Emergency, what to do?
For people visiting, living and working in Bangkok there is a comforting note. The capital city has an umbrella of medical care that is of world a class standard, the equal of anything available anywhere. There are modern, well equipped hospitals across the city with internationally trained personnel dedicated to the care and wellbeing of all that visit or dwell within their great city.
When a medical emergency occurs, the first thing that springs into most people’s minds is to call an ambulance. Bangkok has its own dedicated emergency ambulance telephone number, 1664. The operators have English language skills and an ambulance will be immediately dispatched to the site of the call, it having been identified via GPS tracking. Attendance time can vary depending on traffic, but generally the service is very efficient and ambulance arrival times are excellent.
Facing a medical emergency can never be predicted, we rarely expect it and, all too often, are ill prepared for it. However, there are some proactive steps that can be taken to facilitate setting in motion the very best emergency medical care available in the city. The wise resident or visitor does their research and arms themselves with localized emergency numbers for the medical facility of their preference.
Contact information for any preferred medical establishment should, where possible, be communicated to anyone assisting a person during an emergency.
An individual may have a medical history at a hospital, which is particularly pertinent to those living in the city. In an emergency being admitted to a familiar hospital is good for the patient and advantageous to the hospital, they having the person’s medical files. With valuable medical information to hand, emergency medical staff are able channel treatment more effectively, much to the patient’s advantage.
Emergency Departments
The major hospitals throughout the city have dedicated emergency departments and personnel, along with their own fleets of ambulances. The vehicles are modern and are equipped to deal with most medical emergencies, they are likely to face. The first attenders are highly trained medical professionals skilled in emergency care.
The ambulance teams not only treat and transport, they also communicate with the emergency department whist on route to the hospital. This ensures that, on arrival, the correct specialist staff are ready and waiting for the patient’s arrival. Where necessary, theatres will be made ready prior to arrival, with any specialized equipment in place. The whole system is designed to maximize the time efficiency of emergency and triage care, vital for successful treatment and patient recovery.
The Hospital and Beyond
Most emergencies require a stay in hospital, be that a protracted stay or just overnight. It is important to realize that there are no time parameters put upon an emergency. Nothing, not the arrival of an ambulance or admittance to hospital, brings an automatic end to an emergency.
A medical emergency can result in constant, round the clock care until a patient’s life is no longer in danger. Bangkok’s emergency departments and staff are dedicated to the preservation of life, whatever, and however long it takes. Following an emergency, a patient’s ongoing recovery is as important to the staff as the illness or accident that brought the patient to them in the first place.
For anyone living in Bangkok, be they indigenous or expat, they are well covered by emergency medical care. Be aware of life’s risks, be alert and be sure to know the contact details of your preferred hospital, or Bangkok’s universal medical emergency number, 1664.
To learn about one of the best medical emergency services in Bangkok, visit Emergency Medical Services in Bangkok.
