Reader question: How is this possible at a modern airport like Suvarnabhumi?

You can actually find that everywhere in Thailand (and Asia): (correct) aid is very slow to get going.
If you watch videos of accidents (eg cyclist hit by car) in the Netherlands, you will always see a few people running to the victim to help (stabilize, resuscitate, give first aid).
And then also look at similar videos in Thailand: people also run there, but not to help the victim, but to take photos and video recordings.
You have to here in Thailand (not even in China, by the way, where I've seen that happen live: woman hit by car, lying on the street, conscious, men in particular stand around stoically, just put a sweater under the victim's head and but minimally communicated with her in Chinese) don't get into an accident because you are at the mercy of the gods. The advantage is that afterwards you can see on YouTube and Facebook how you looked, surrounded by a crowd of amateur photographers and cameramen!

I'm not surprised, there may not be a first aid team there, you are supposed to just die when it's your time, or so Boudhists think. : wink

A friend of mine drove his motorcycle into a car suddenly turning on the road and flew his head through the door window of the car and ended up seriously injured on the road surface next to the car.Waiting for the arrival of an ambulance, which took a long time lasted, he fished his phone out of his pocket with great pain and effort and, still lying on the street, asked a bystander to call his partner. The bystander answered the phone and then made off with the phone. It was never so easy for the thief to get hold of a phone.
This also happens if you have to wait a long time for assistance

We move to the other side of the world and we expected everything to be just like at home. We are surprised that no first aid team is at work within 30 seconds and we find 20 minutes waiting for an ambulance long. You are in an Asian country where things like this are completely different or even not regulated at all. An ambulance is often a private institution without much medical knowledge, but purely a means of transport that earns money. You are lucky if there is some kind of ambulance, often one ends up in the back of a pick-up with a flashing light. The fact that the driver is wearing a white coat means nothing.

The world has become small, we board a plane and 10 hours later we expected to find a different way of doing things and a different climate. What we did not expect to find is a society that does not carry out or have certain things available as at home. We expected the police to be there to help us, not rip us off, and we like public transport to run on time or it will cost us precious vacation time. We just have very unrealistic expectations.

I stayed at the Berkeley pratunam hotel in January 2015. I became seriously ill at night, my wife asked for a doctor. The hotel said that there was no doctor available at night. Yes a Thai doctor said the hotel but he doesn't speak English. She immediately told me that was a scammer. Then my wife asked for an ambulance. The hotel then told you that you will be scammed in the hospital by the same Thai doctor. Early in the morning I was admitted to a private hospital and had surgery the same day. You understand that we are shocked 5 star hotel no doctor and a world city without medical care at night.

Last year with Sonkran a Thai man fell from a platform on the back of his head, a lot of people of course but not 1 who held out a hand. People were giving each other instructions to call his parents because he was already dead !!!!. I told my wife he wasn't dead and went to help him, his tongue was shot in his throat and I took it out, a few hard slaps in his face and ice cold water over his head and laid on his side after which he came to again, Great surprise at the Thai and applause !!. Later I asked my wife why no one really did anything. The answer was that the Thais are afraid! and don't know what to do.
My Songkran could not be broken anymore and days later people still came to me and thanked me.
Regards, Antony

Unfortunately, it is a normal phenomenon. You can't go here again saying that this is typical Thai behaviour. If someone is drowning in the water and there are several bystanders, it always takes a while before someone comes into acite. Everyone expects someone else to do something. Eventually, after much hesitation, one person will take responsibility.
In the Netherlands and some other countries, not giving first aid is even a criminal offense (http://ikehbo.nl/eerste-hulp-bij-ongelukken/hulpverlenen/verplicht-of-niet.php)
I don't know if this is in Thailand.
Yes, indeed you expect that in a modern airport every soldier and other uniformed person will take action. Even a passing crew is a whole group of trained people who can help.
I belonged to the latter group and we were always hammered in that whoever finds someone in such a condition immediately calls a second person for help and stays with the victim and starts with help. The second (crew member or passenger) goes to get help and everyone immediately comes with the medical equipment: first aid kit, defibrillator and medical personnel are also immediately requested.
Besides, the best place to go into cardiac arrest or something like that is on the plane en route. Because you can be helped the fastest there. That is not so in a large airport or somewhere in a city (let's not consider rural areas)…