Its been a while

Jimbo

I have not visited this blog for some time and I have just noticed that on my periodic visit to the Balipod site. I have been on Balipod for many years and this all started as I intended to retire in Bali. Instead I decided to stay in the UK but to come "HOME" to Indonesia twice a year for 2-3 months at a time. I eventually settled and bought a house in Makassar where I first met my wife over 40 years ago. From here we are constant visitors to Tanah Toraja where my wife comes from and where we visit the village every year. As I came to retirement age I looked into the possibility of permanently moving there but something always held me back from taking the plunge. I finally relised some time ago now that then something was provision of healthcare. Since 2018 I have had aa triple heart bypass an operation for skin cancer, removal of the top third of my right lung for lung cancer and the most recent and ongoing a cancerous lump on the side of my neck which was surgically removed and 20 sessions of radio therapy. I am just now in recovery from this. I just wonder if I had gone ahead with moving over full time would I have got the treatment and how much it would have cost. Hopefully I am now on the mend and plan my annual trip in October with a holiday in Bali in early December.

harryopal

Jimbo wrote I have not visited this blog for some time and I have just noticed that on my periodic visit to the Balipod site. I have been on Balipod for many years and this all started as I intended to retire in Bali. Instead I decided to stay in the UK but to come "HOME" to Indonesia twice a year for 2-3 months at a time. I eventually settled and bought a house in Makassar where I first met my wife over 40 years ago. From here we are constant visitors to Tanah Toraja where my wife comes from and where we visit the village every year. As I came to retirement age I looked into the possibility of permanently moving there but something always held me back from taking the plunge. I finally relised some time ago now that then something was provision of healthcare. Since 2018 I have had aa triple heart bypass an operation for skin cancer, removal of the top third of my right lung for lung cancer and the most recent and ongoing a cancerous lump on the side of my neck which was surgically removed and 20 sessions of radio therapy. I am just now in recovery from this. I just wonder if I had gone ahead with moving over full time would I have got the treatment and how much it would have cost. Hopefully I am now on the mend and plan my annual trip in October with a holiday in Bali in early December.

Struth, you have done well to survive all that so I really hope you are on an upward curve with recovery. If you are not coming until December that just leaves you time to learn to speak Russian. выздоравливать

Rellek

Jimbo wrote I have not visited this blog for some time and I have just noticed that on my periodic visit to the Balipod site. I have been on Balipod for many years and this all started as I intended to retire in Bali. Instead I decided to stay in the UK but to come "HOME" to Indonesia twice a year for 2-3 months at a time. I eventually settled and bought a house in Makassar where I first met my wife over 40 years ago. From here we are constant visitors to Tanah Toraja where my wife comes from and where we visit the village every year. As I came to retirement age I looked into the possibility of permanently moving there but something always held me back from taking the plunge. I finally relised some time ago now that then something was provision of healthcare. Since 2018 I have had aa triple heart bypass an operation for skin cancer, removal of the top third of my right lung for lung cancer and the most recent and ongoing a cancerous lump on the side of my neck which was surgically removed and 20 sessions of radio therapy. I am just now in recovery from this. I just wonder if I had gone ahead with moving over full time would I have got the treatment and how much it would have cost. Hopefully I am now on the mend and plan my annual trip in October with a holiday in Bali in early December.

In my opinion, healthcare for treatment of anything out of the ordinary on Bali is absolutely horrendous by any standards. I've given up on Bali hospitals and doctors and now fly to Jakarta every 3 months where I go to a very modern and clean hospital at a minimal cost. The staff are great at Indah Puri Hospital, Jakarta where I have on going treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis with check up tests as recommended by the doctors there. I have horror stories from Bali Med, Kasih Ibu and BIMC. Yeah, I know, third world treatment should have lowered my expectations, of course, but fucking up a blood draw is pretty sad. I won't post the bloody photo. Added plus of Jakarta for medical treatment..fewer Russians too. Very good to hear you will be returning to Bali after so long and so much has happened to you.

Markit

Jimbo wrote I have not visited this blog for some time and I have just noticed that on my periodic visit to the Balipod site. I have been on Balipod for many years and this all started as I intended to retire in Bali. Instead I decided to stay in the UK but to come "HOME" to Indonesia twice a year for 2-3 months at a time. I eventually settled and bought a house in Makassar where I first met my wife over 40 years ago. From here we are constant visitors to Tanah Toraja where my wife comes from and where we visit the village every year. As I came to retirement age I looked into the possibility of permanently moving there but something always held me back from taking the plunge. I finally relised some time ago now that then something was provision of healthcare. Since 2018 I have had aa triple heart bypass an operation for skin cancer, removal of the top third of my right lung for lung cancer and the most recent and ongoing a cancerous lump on the side of my neck which was surgically removed and 20 sessions of radio therapy. I am just now in recovery from this. I just wonder if I had gone ahead with moving over full time would I have got the treatment and how much it would have cost. Hopefully I am now on the mend and plan my annual trip in October with a holiday in Bali in early December.

I suspect you would have received the same here on the national insurance BPJS system to which I am a recent participant. Have to say they seem pretty well organised and it was all free with same day docs appointments (try that in the good ole UK). Now with the heart bypass I have (thankfully) no experience but I suspect you would have gotten it here too possibly faster with some extra payment...?

Rellek

Markit wrote I suspect you would have received the same here on the national insurance BPJS system to which I am a recent participant. Have to say they seem pretty well organised and it was all free with same day docs appointments (try that in the good ole UK). Now with the heart bypass I have (thankfully) no experience but I suspect you would have gotten it here too possibly faster with some extra payment...?

Regarding BPJS, I'm glad you've had such good results with the government funded program. It's a constant topic in Bali Retirement Group with a lot of confusion from the Bules. Free with Same Day appointments sounds too good to be true. Pre-existing conditions probably aren't covered either? Any problems that you can think of?

Jimbo

harryopal wrote Struth, you have done well to survive all that so I really hope you are on an upward curve with recovery. If you are not coming until December that just leaves you time to learn to speak Russian. выздоравливать

Cagdilla (hic Spelling) Understand a bit from working in Kazakstan

harryopal

Jimbo wrote Cagdilla (hic Spelling) Understand a bit from working in Kazakstan

While you were in Kazakstan did you get to meet Borat? Cultural attache. ![](https://balipod.com/uploads/attachments/3730-ba6e2faac4e6187b8cc779a88ea1f84d.png

YachtRock

You made the right call. I had an MRI done at Siloam recently and the doctor said nothing was wrong. I suspected I might need a second opinion so I emailed a well-known doctor in Malaysia and showed him the MRI. He said he couldn't even read it because the quality was so bad due to an outdated machine. When I got the MRI done again in Malaysia - this time with a modern machine - the doctor identified a torn ACL - which I suspected all along. Suffice to say, I won't ever trust a Bali doctor with anything more than the common cold, let alone life threatening diseases.

Markit

Rellek wrote Regarding BPJS, I'm glad you've had such good results with the government funded program. It's a constant topic in Bali Retirement Group with a lot of confusion from the Bules. Free with Same Day appointments sounds too good to be true. Pre-existing conditions probably aren't covered either? Any problems that you can think of?

I'm new to the program and have used it a total of twice and both times have been crowned with success - I still live! Honestly I've probably been lucky as initially you're supposed to go with the clinic/doctor of your choice but we chose to use the local Bali Med hospital as our "clinic" and they have shown nothing but professionalism (you can see online where you place is in the days/clinics appointments - place 4 of 33 when you are in 16, so I only rock up when it's 2 places away from me. Nobody asked about any pre-existing conditions. I lied - sorry, I went about gout which I told them I've had for years and they didn't bat an eyelid and treated it gratis, including meds.