In the United States we don’t yet live in chaotic emergency care and healthcare situations like the people of Bangkok, Thailand are currently living. In Bangkok, and other large cities in Thailand, victims of auto or motorcycle accidents in crowded streets, or by gun violence, may remain at the accident scene or crime scene for 20-30 minutes or more while EMT ambulance teams argue or physically fight over which emergency medical foundation, Thai government included, wins the patient’s or victim’s transport to hospital. In some cases in Thailand conflict between ambulance teams breaks out and it has gotten or could become violent with shots fired creating more victims. All the while the immobilized original patient runs dangerously low on time to receive necessary emergency treatment. Why are these clashes between ambulance services increasingly occurring?

The simple answer is compensation from the hospitals and/or the Thai government to the ambulance teams if adequate funds are available. Often they are not available so hospitals compensate ambulance teams. And these ambulance teams receive about $30 US per patient or victim. Over time the incentives to get to victims first before other ambulances show up rises and rises as well. But for who’s benefit? More often now up to 4-6 ambulances from different emergency foundations crowd the emergency scene at once.

Reporter Vikram Singh narrates this 101 East documentary by Al-Jazeera showing firsthand just how controversial a monetized, privatized EMT system soon becomes corrupted while healthcare worker shortages worsen, not just in Thailand, but other nations as well; the U.S. isn’t far behind because our EMT system is already 90%–99% privatized and one particular U.S. political party wants to keep privatizing all industries in America already similar to prisons and immigration detention centers. How are those working out? Think about it America. Watch this 25-minute video and ask yourself at the end, “Is this what I want my country to become when it comes to privatized/monetized emergency care and healthcare?“

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The Professor’s Convatorium © 2025 by Professor Taboo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0