Travelling in Thailand is no different to any other holiday destination. It’s always possible for you could end up in a Thai hospital for a variety of reasons out of your control!
Thailand over the last 40 years has exponentially improved its hospital services. Today you will find x ray, ultrasound and a myriad of high tech imaging systems.
The private hospitals are really very good and offer emergency as well as diagnostic services as well as plastic surgery if you desire it. However there are some difference you should be aware of and I’ll do my best to guide you from my own experience.
There are a few very common and really preventable ways tourists get a hospital stay in Thailand. A very common activity that gets tourists into a Thai hospital is riding motorbikes drunk. Often tourists ride with little or no protection in places like Phuket, Samui and Pattaya. Drunk motorcycle accidents are so common its ridiculous and many are unfortunately fatal. Please think before you drink and ride.
Road rules in Thailand are present but honestly they are rarely followed. Drunk driving Thai’s can be encountered anytime of the day. Yes people die far to often on holiday needlessly and their families have to pick up the pieces.
Family will have to deal with getting your body home from a foreign country. They will be upset enough losing you. Please think of yourself and your family.
Statistics for tourists show 84 died in Thailand in the recent report with motor accidents being the major factor, boating and swimming next the congenital diseases with suicide accounting for some sadly.
There were 166 people hospitalized in the same period for some of the reasons above as well as food and alcohol issues.
There are a number of reasons you could get sick with Covit still present in Thailand plus a few others common to Thailand.
In Thailand, mosquitoes are responsible for spreading dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, lymphatic filariasis, and malaria which are also common. I would recommend vaccinations where possible and just avoiding badly infested mosquito areas.
Typhoid is also present as I was to find out personally. Its rare and the authorities are right on tracing it when it rears its head where possible. I ended up in a Thai hospital with it.
If your travelling anywhere please spend the small amount and get travel insurance that covers you for hospital stays. Hospitals can be expensive especially if your problem is serious. Don’t buy just a cheap online policy. Read it and I would recommend using a company that has offices in the country your visiting.
International companies have the financial backing and offices where you are holidaying so you can get support. This proved important at a local hospital when I was asked to translate for a fellow Aussie in a Chiang Rai hospital some years back.
The man had been pretty sick but I don’t remember why. He was in an adjoining room to one of my family in hospital in Chiang Rai. The hospital wanted to know how he would pay for his stay and they struggled to communicate with him. They would not release him without payment. Yes they will hold you till you pay! I speak Thai fluently and they were having trouble explaining what was required as well as other issues I’ll address later.
I introduced myself and then I explained the hospital needed some information about payment for his stay. The nurse told me they needed to know things such as what insurance he had, does his insurer have an office in Thailand. They told me they would not deal with a company that did not have an office in Thailand.
I explained what they wanted and he was able to contact his insurer by phone in Australia to get contact details for a representative in Thailand. All worked out for him thankfully. If his insurer did not have an office he would have had to manage it all himself. Not an ideal situation especially if your not well enough to contact your insurance.
Our Aussie patient had also managed to offend a number of the doctors that had attended to him. The nurses told me they were unable to satisfy the patient and he was just getting more frustrated by the lack of understanding.
The doctors he had offended just flatly refused to return and help him because of the way he spoken to them. It’s certainly not ideal situation isolating yourself from those who can help you the most.
Thai culture in general is pretty subdued when it comes to Mr/Ms average person when speaking with people of authority like doctors. They would not openly contradict a doctor, nurse or a teacher either for example.
Speaking with doctors requires you keep a respectful tone soft tone, do not raise your voice at them. Doctors are highly regarded in Thai society and that requires you respect them as well.
Thai people do not question a doctors opinion openly even if they are not happy with it. They would simply nod, say yes doctor and find a new one independently to get an opinion on their issue.
If you want a second opinion you can ask but do it in a normal voice and not aggressive demanding style. If you ask respectfully you will be fine. This was what the patient wanted but managed very poorly.
Demanding something while banging your fists on the bedside table does not work in Thailand in any setting. It achieves exactly the opposite effect you desire. May I also say the same applies to police and immigration officers.
Being a foreigner its likely the best doctors will see you as a priority. If you are rude you will end up with less experienced doctors thrust in your direction. Again, not an ideal situation if your medical issue is serious and possibly complicated.
Thai Hospitals operate differently to their western counterparts I many aspects. In Thailand hospitals nurses only do medical tasks and not the menial tasks like bed changing and waiting on patients.
They generally don’t come in and fix your bed or take you to the bathroom, shower you or help you eat. I’m guessing you will get some help if your on your own but it’s not normal practice. Appreciate the help if it is offered please.
If a Thai ends up in a nice private or not so nice public hospital, family will sleep under the bed literally and do all the patient assistant jobs.
If I go to hospital my wife stays with me and helps me shower, go to the bathroom and eat/drink if I need assistance. Yes don’t buzz the nurse for help because they are not there for that service in a Thai hospital.
You will need a friend to stay with you if you can. If your on your own I’m guessing they will help you so be nice, smile and thank them. (Kup Koon Krup = Thank you.)
You will need ID/passport and your insurance details if possible on checking in. They may take your passport to photocopy for records but they should not keep your passport.
Remember you do not have to give your passport to anyone for them to keep. You should request it be returned once copied should they request to keep it. Never been an issue for me but it could happen.
If your unconscious then you may need your hotel to get your papers for you from your room should you be in an accident. Let’s try and avoid this OK.
Thai hospital emergency rooms are well staffed and busy. This is where you could start your hospital experience if your not well.
On occasions I have visited emergency for myself or with family. The experience I have had has always been professional, caring and fast. The nurses are experienced and get you sorted with medicine or get you to a hospital room if required pretty efficiently.
Please be aware if its busy you could spend a lot of time waiting to get a room in a hallway or standard ward. This is normal in busy times.
Having private insurance will get you a private room unless there are not any available. I have had to wait a few hours till after lunch when they start discharging patients. Just remain calm and you will get your room.
Thai nurses are pretty quick to get a drip into your hand/arm so don’t be alarmed. It seems to be the norm regardless. I’m terrified of these drips, I am not afraid to say. Yes I’m a baby, but they get one in the back of your hand pretty quick smart if your not doing well. This is attached initially to a saline drip and any drugs deemed necessary to get you well.
There is generally a doctor available and often they can speak English OK. Doctors are probably more likely to speak some English so they can ask you questions.
Nurses seem less likely to speak English in my experiences to date. If your in a big city like Bangkok or holiday destination with a lot of tourists then it’s probably fair to expect English will be spoken more often.
Tourists that don’t speak English and end up in a Thai hospital can be at a real disadvantage especially in the country away from tourist areas. I met a husband and wife from France one day when I had gone to get a small issue sorted at a local private hospital.
The doctors were in vain to ask questions of them both the man and his wife. The man only spoke French but his wife fortunately spoke some heavily accented English. The nurses were trying to ask questions but having difficulty with their strong French accents. The whole process was a struggle with everyone quite stressed already and not getting anywhere fast with the language communication challenges at hand.
I offered to assist and was graciously accepted by the medical staff. Chatting with her and the medical staff I was able to help the doctor get his answers he needed. The wife and I ended up in the middle.
I translated the doctors questions, She asked the question in French then told me the answer and I translated it to Thai. Convoluted process but we were efficient and got the answers needed by the doctors as quickly as possible.
He needed an operation pretty quickly and was on the way to the operating room pretty fast. I remember them having insurance but this was never discussed further while I was there.
They were also booked on an afternoon flight to Phuket plus they had hotel accommodation booked. They were not going to make the flight and the lady didn’t know what to do. She wanted to get their money back from the hotel at least figuring at this late stage the flights were a lost cause. The lady was really overwhelmed by it all which is very understandable.
Phoning the hotel with the number she gave me I established all they needed was to get a letter from the hospital faxed to the hotel to get a refund. The required letter is called a Bi Lup long fat. This is a doctors certificate and commonly used for many situations in Thailand such as getting a driving licenses.
On completing the call to the hotel everything appeared to be OK and treatment for the man was being organized. At this point it seemed I was no longer needed. A big thank you from the lady and we parted ways. I don’t know the end result. I hope it was positive.
The food in Thai hospitals is very bland. Not unexpected you say. Yes hospital food around the world isn’t much to write home about. It often consists of rice soup (Kow Tom), fried rice (Kow pat), vegetable soup (Keng Puk) and chicken on rice ( Kow Mun Gai). Coffee (Kafair) and tea (Char) as well as fruit juice (Narm Polimai) are also offered.
It’s very worth while having a friend/family member get food from 7/11 or the food stalls generally located near hospitals. Please check with the hospital staff first to be safe on dietary limitations. If you have a bad leg or arm your probably OK but if you have internal issues ask first.
There are often coffee shops available at Thai hospitals so if your not restricted to your bed you may be able to go get a coffee or have friend do it for you. No life without coffee! I had the nurses bring me a decent coffee a few times. I gave them money and they got it for me when they were free. Meal service is early for breakfast and them mid day followed by about 5pm for dinner.
Doctors (Koon More) generally do their rounds in the morning with often a few interns in tow. You will note how people are very respectful with them. Quite the opposite from western hospitals often.
Doctors will prescribe medicine’s for you and if all is going well let you know when you can be discharged.
Having friends or family visit anytime is OK. If you have a sofa they can stay with you overnight. This is very normal and common place in all Thai hospitals.
Thai culture sort of demands all your family visit you if your unwell in hospital. I have had a full room with family coming to see me when I was in hospital once. It’s nice but it’s also a challenge for some depending on how financial they are.
We would give family some money to go buy food and drinks when they came. I am fortunate to be able to do this but other family members may not be so lucky.
Getting discharged from a Thai hospital takes a little time. It’s very helpful if you have a friend/family member to run around and sort it. You will need your insurance details plus ID and likely some money for what is not covered by insurance. Out of pocket expenses.
There will likely be medicines to pick up from a pharmacy. You take your paperwork to the hospital admin, they will process their paperwork and get approval from your insurer.
Once they receive payment you will get an invoice for any extras. Pay the invoice then you will get directed to the pharmacy to pick up medicine. Once all your paperwork is done the nurses will then likely remove any drips and you will be free to go.
I thought it wise to add some hospitals for your consideration. These are NOT recommendations just some that are available if you need a Thai hospital and your in that area. There are a lot more to choose from with quite a number located in hotels in Phuket as well as the Phuket airport. Lets hope you don’t need one
Bumrungrad Hospital
33 Sukhumvit 3 (Soi Nana Nua)
Wattana
Bangkok 10110
Thailand
Tel: + 66 2 667 1000
Fax: + 66 2 667 2525
Bangkok General Hospital
2 Soi Soonvijai 7
New Petchburi Road Bangkok 10310
Thailand
Tel: + 66 2 3180066
Fax: + 66 2 3181546
AEK Udon International Hospital
555/5 Phosri Road
Muang
Udon Thani 41000
Thailand
Tel: + 66 42 342 555
Fax: + 66 42 341 033
Bangkok Phuket Hospital
2/1 Hongyok Utis Road Muang District
Phuket 83000
Thailand
Tel: + 66 76 254 421
Fax: + 66 76 254 430
Bangkok International Clinic at Patong Beach
124/6 Soi Patong Beach Hotel Taweewomg Road
Patong Beach
Phuket 83150 Thailand
Tel: + 66 76 344 699
Chiang Mai Ram Hospital
8 Boonruangrit Road
Chiangmai 50200
Thailand
Tel: + 66 53 224 861
Fax: + 66 53 224 880
Chiangmai Ram 2 Hospital
99 Village # 5
Tumbol Fah-ham
Muang
Chiangmai 50200 Thailand
Tel: + 66 53 852 590
Fax: + 66 53 852 999
Thai hospital visits although distressing can be a good experience. People are always nice and pleasant and the new hospitals have all the mod cons. They can deal with minor and major emergencies well. City and tourist destination hospitals are likely better fitted out than country ones. Chiang Rai has several private hospitals which seem good. Personally we go the the Overbrook Hospital but there are also newer ones.
Do not go to the government hospitals if your unwell. They are so flooded with Thai people needing care plus they seem pretty run down at lease here in Chiang Rai. U don’t expect they will be willing to help unless it’s an emergency and there is no other choice.
I hope this post has been helpful. I also hope you never need it and a Thai hospital is a place you never have to visit. Enjoy your Thailand holiday, it’s a great place.
Brendon McAliece has both lived and holidayed in Thailand for nearly 40 years. He currently is retired and resides in Chiang Rai with his wife living in a small village. He speaks Thai as well as the Northern Thai dialect called Neaua plus some Lao.
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