Pink ID card, very useful

[gamini]

.I need to have vascular surgery and the operation quoted by private hospitals in Bangkok was nearly 2 million baht . I have no insurance because of my age and I certainly can't afford that kind of money. My Thai doctor friend suggested I go to Ramatibodi hospital where it should  cost me one third of the private hospital price. I went to the emergency department which was a separate hospital, huge, overcrowded and understaffed. As I went in, I handed them my passport. They groaned when they saw it because they would have to translate my name into Thai and none of them spoke any English. They asked if I had an ID and I produced my pink ID and it was all smiles. They put my ID into a special slot and out came a printed hospital card with my name and number on it .Also at the same time the machine produced 12 pages each with my ID card printed in the right-hand corner showing my picture my name in Thai. They were then put into a file. My Thai friend who accompanied me told me that if I hadn't had the pink ID they would  probably have turned me away because they just didn't have spare English speaking staff to translate my name into Thai and fill in 10 blank pages with my details.  So for me it was a pleasant surprise how useful the pink ID was. The hospital was very modern and I was very impressed by the way they handled huge number of emergencies. I was there for eight hours it was very uncomfortable on the hard stretcher with no pillow. But I had a lot of tests done and saw a very good vascular surgeon.They gave me quite a lot of take-home medicine . The total bill was under 3000 bt.  He said that my operation was not an emergency but should be done as soon as possible. I had to go back four days later for a few other tests to make sure that I was fit enough to have the surgery done . They have given me a date and booked me a room for possible surgery later this month .  I did not see a single foreigner anywhere in any of the hospital departments. No one seems to speak any English and it was a real problem because neither my Thai niece or my friends Thai wife could understand the technical questions that all the nurses were asking. The second time I went with the wife of another friend of mine who has a university degree and was able to cope quite well with all the questions.  Anyone considering using a government hospital must realise that you get no special treatment if you are paying. I was treated exactly the same as all the Thais who are getting free treatment.  

[SteveK]

Do you mean cardiovascular surgery? If so then you are very brave.

[MeePeeMai]

I don't know this first hand but I have heard that you can treated faster (or jump ahead of the line) if you state that you will pay extra for rush service.  I have also heard that they have private and semi-private rooms (for those willing to pay for them). 

 

Good info and thanks for the report!

[Maestro]

Removed an off-topic post.

[Puchaiyank]

Pink card?

 

How does one obtain such a valuable document?

[fishtank]

27 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

Pink card?

 

How does one obtain such a valuable document?

Your local amphur.

You need a yellow book first.

[Curt1591]

1 hour ago, Puchaiyank said:

Pink card?

 

How does one obtain such a valuable document?

"What" is a "pink card"?

[Curt1591]

Have used Rama Hospital. Didn't have any problem getting registered.

Actually, it has 2 different grades of service - one for Social Security, and another for paying patients.

Yes; everyone needs to wait. But, on the "premium" floors, the waits are bad, but not quite as bad.

The Social Security cattle yard can be downright scary.

 

[Sheryl]

5 hours ago, Curt1591 said:

"What" is a "pink card"?

A Thai ID card for foreigners.

 

It is indeed very, very useful. Has the same number of digits as for Thai citizens so fits into computer fields designed for ID numbers (which passport numbers often do not). Has your name and address written in Thai script.

 

Other than Immigration police (who may want to see your visa details) it is accepted as ID pretty much anywhere in Thailand and in some cases helps get Thai rates.

[Sheryl]

12 hours ago, MeePeeMai said:

I don't know this first hand but I have heard that you can treated faster (or jump ahead of the line) if you state that you will pay extra for rush service.  I have also heard that they have private and semi-private rooms (for those willing to pay for them). 

 

There is no jumping the queue in the public channel. But there is a separate "premium" clinic which is faster. Mostly after hours I think. Cost more but still quite reasonable. Crowds are less, and waiting conditions better, but still longer wait than in a private hospital. And still have the language issues.

 

And yes, there are private/semi-private rooms.

[Boon Mee]

The Pink Card is the most useful ID a Farang can have here in LOS. 

Depending on your Amphur office, they may not issue to renters. As previously mentioned before, you do need the Yellow Book first. 

[connda]

I tend to agree.  In Chiang Mai private Sripat hospital is in the same building as Maharaj govenment hospital.

Some other member quoted a price of 79k THB for cataract surgery for one eye at Sripat.  Three years ago it was 60k THB at Maharaj for both eyes.  I tend not to want the toss money away for nothing.  Sripat and Maharaj share the same surgeries and doctors, just the price is different.

 

So, if you're not in a hurry - whip out the pink card and plan to spend the day in lines.  However, the price of the wait is a drastically discounted price.

[connda]

The one place I've found that it is not useful is Bangkok Bank.  I tried to use it for ID and they would not accept it.  Go figure.  ????

[Peterw42]

25 minutes ago, connda said:

The one place I've found that it is not useful is Bangkok Bank.  I tried to use it for ID and they would not accept it.  Go figure.  ????

Your BKK bank account, if opened with a passport will have an english script account name, a Pink ID has your name in Thai script. so not a valid ID. The same if you open an account with a pink ID the account name will be in Thai and a passport will not be valid.

 

If your name is Sean Connery, your name in Thai script wont remotely resemble your engish name, it will probably be the thai characters that sound out Shawn.

[billsmart]

I have a "pink" Thai ID card too, and have found it useful for certain things for which I used to have to show my passport, like checking in hotels, but I didn't know it would be that useful in a hospital.

 

Thanks for the info...

[Peterw42]

26 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

The Pink Card is the most useful ID a Farang can have here in LOS. 

Depending on your Amphur office, they may not issue to renters. As previously mentioned before, you do need the Yellow Book first. 

Its not that they wont issue to renters, its more an issue that a renter may not have access to the blue book or the house masters permission. If the landlord is agrreable it shouldnt be a problem.

[crazykopite]

The pink ID Card is heaven we use ours to get discounts on Ferry boat , hospital or doctor visit , renewing car licence no need to go to immigration to get letter of residence if you want to buy a car best thing we ever did was to get yellow house book and pink ID card and because we are both over a certain age the card is for life do not have to renew it I never carry my passport around just show my Thai Pink ID Card .

[Peterw42]

Being a pink ID thread, someone will chime in with the usual rubbish about not being able to travel or the ID is only valid in the issueing province, neither are true. The statment on the pink ID about travel "only" applies to stateless people who can be issued the same card.

[fotog]

Great information, thanks to all who contributed. As an aside I just happen to be going to the Ampur tomorrow for something unrelated to this subject (U.S. marriage registration) but will ask about the pink ID card. I have had a yellow house book for many years now but did not know about the pink ID Card until a few weeks ago after viewing a YouTube channel vlogger who talked about it in connection with getting his Yellow Thai Tabien Baan House Registration Book and Pink Foreigner ID Card. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lsq7RNe9po

 

[crazykopite]

15 hours ago, MeePeeMai said:

I don't know this first hand but I have heard that you can treated faster (or jump ahead of the line) if you state that you will pay extra for rush service.  I have also heard that they have private and semi-private rooms (for those willing to pay for them). 

 

Good info and thanks for the report!

My wife had plates inserted into her leg when she broke her Fibula and Tibia this was at the Government Hospital in Koh Samui they have an English speaking department due to age we don’t have insurance what I can tell you that the cost was 400,000 baht less than I was quoted by one of the private hospitals on the island . We paid to get a private room looking over the sea at a then cost of 1,500 baht per night I think it now costs 1,800 but well worth the money . If I couldn’t spend the night there I would pay 600 baht for a nurse to sit with her during the night yes the food was the same but if she needed extra morphine that was put on the bill she then had outpatients several times a week before being finally signed off three months later by the surgeon the complete cost was just under 100,000 baht and was worth every baht . Even a yearly checkup with blood tests xrays everything is only 800 baht and is completed from start to finish in two hours with the doctor giving you a printed out report as well as any recommendations he may want to suggest . We have read or heard of many bad reports but in 13 years of living here we can only give the Government Hospital on Samui praise. 

[crazykopite]

5 minutes ago, fotog said:

Great information, thanks to all who contributed. As an aside I just happen to be going to the Ampur tomorrow for something unrelated to this subject (U.S. marriage registration) but will ask about the pink ID card. I have had a yellow house book for many years now but did not know about the pink ID Card until a few weeks ago after viewing a YouTube channel vlogger who talked about it in connection with getting his Yellow Thai Tabien Baan House Registration Book and Pink Foreigner ID Card. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lsq7RNe9po

 

The pink card is normally issued with the yellow book maybe that was not the case when you were given you yellow book so I suggest that you take your yellow book with you along with a couple of hundred baht as the card is not free I assume the cost cover the making up of the card you don’t even need a photo and depending on your age you may never have to renew it I think this is if your over 60 

[Sheryl]

In my experience the pink card is not issued automatically with the yellow TB, you have to request it.

Once you have the yellow TB the pink card takes just minutes to get and is usually free. You need only the yellow TB and your passport.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Thingamabob]

I have found my pink card useful and time saving on many occasions, although banks tend to insist on passport identification.

[4MyEgo]

16 hours ago, gamini said:

They have given me a date and booked me a room for possible surgery later this month .

Best of luck, as daunting as this can be in a foreign hospital.

 

Give us an update when you have recovered and let us know of your experience.

[worgeordie]

I opened an account at CIMB,with an ATM card,the cashier took me out

to the ATM so i could change the password,he put my passport number

in but it would not work,so i suddenly thought about the Pink ID card

he put in a number from that and that worked,i was able to change to

ATM password.that's the only time so far i have had a use for it.

regards worgeordie

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, crazykopite said:

The pink ID Card is heaven we use ours to get discounts on Ferry boat , hospital or doctor visit , renewing car licence no need to go to immigration to get letter of residence if you want to buy a car best thing we ever did was to get yellow house book and pink ID card and because we are both over a certain age the card is for life do not have to renew it I never carry my passport around just show my Thai Pink ID Card .

Try booking into the Nana Hotel without your passport and show your Pink ID card. They won't accept it.

[Surasak]

The pink ID card was very useful when I had a Vascular ligature operation in a large general hospital two weeks ago. Private room for two nights, one before and one after the op. Service was exceptional and many of the nursing staff spoke English. When the bill was presented, I asked if I could stay. Cheap as chips was an understatement, I've spent more in a 4 star hotel for two nights.

[CharlieH]

2 minutes ago, Surasak said:

The pink ID card was very useful when I had a Vascular ligature operation in a large general hospital two weeks ago. Private room for two nights, one before and one after the op. Service was exceptional and many of the nursing staff spoke English. When the bill was presented, I asked if I could stay. Cheap as chips was an understatement, I've spent more in a 4 star hotel for two nights.

 

Might assist others if you said what Hospital ?

[Surasak]

7 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Might assist others if you said what Hospital ?

Yes CharlieH, you may be right, but I choose not to say.

[Stevemercer]

I try to use my pink card as ID when physically checking into hotels during travel in Thailand (to avoid getting my passport info entered into immigration databases and getting caught out with a TM 30 or whatever in my next visit to immigration).

 

It is accepted most of the time, but not always.