cost of seeing doctor at Bangkok Pattaya

[simon_cook 22]

Does someone know the cost of seeing a doctor there?

[BigDUSA 71]

I was there yesterday. The cost to see a MD and prescription drugs was 2700 baht. I was in and out in 60 minutes. The MD spoke reasonable English. My illness was easy to diagnose and the drugs are working well.

[simon_cook 22]

I was there yesterday. The cost to see a MD and prescription drugs was 2700 baht. I was in and out in 60 minutes. The MD spoke reasonable English. My illness was easy to diagnose and the drugs are working well.

I havnt been there for years but last time i went it was 500bt for doctor + meds.

Was gonna go today .Been ill for 3 days with flu like symptoms.Feel like shite.I dont think i can face the traffic and heat outside.

Are there any cheaper hospitals?

[BigDUSA 71]

I

I havnt been there for years but last time i went it was 500bt for doctor + meds.

Was gonna go today .Been ill for 3 days with flu like symptoms.Feel like shite.I dont think i can face the traffic and heat outside.

Are there any cheaper hospitals?

 

I'm not familiar with any other Pattaya hospital. Sounds like you need a test for strep throat.

[jacko 8,822]

I havnt been there for years but last time i went it was 500bt for doctor + meds.

Was gonna go today .Been ill for 3 days with flu like symptoms.Feel like shite.I dont think i can face the traffic and heat outside.

Are there any cheaper hospitals?

PIH on Soi 4, and Memorial at Klang /2nd. Not sure of the costs though...likely less than BPH.

There is a new place up soi Buakhao too.

[simon_cook 22]

Went to a clinic at the suchumvit end of nern plub waan.Doctor from Bangkok Pattaya has set up on his own.Very thorough.Blood test,urine test,about 2 grams of antbiotic fed in my arm through a drip and 2 more lots of medicine-1400bt.Get the blood test results at 8pm tonight.Doctor thinks its DENGUE FEVER

 

Its not very nice driving the bike in Soi Nern when you feel like death , but i had to avoid at least 6 groups of little cunt Thai kids chucking water in my face.

Edited April 13, 2012 by simon_cook

[jaxxon55 252]

Went to a clinic at the suchumvit end of nern plub waan.Doctor from Bangkok Pattaya has set up on his own.Very thorough.Blood test,urine test,about 2 grams of antbiotic fed in my arm through a drip and 2 more lots of medicine-1400bt.Get the blood test results at 8pm tonight.Doctor thinks its DENGUE FEVER

 

Its not very nice driving the bike in Soi Nern when you feel like death , but i had to avoid at least 6 groups of little cunt Thai kids chucking water in my face.

If it is dengue go to PIH on soi 4. You have to treat it and it can be fatal in some cases. There are not many tretments but it will be better to have a professional around because it can affect other things. Do not be skimping on money until you are over it.

Jack

[steamer 158]

Went to Rutnin when I had viral conjunctivitis and the visit including medication was

[Grandpollo 366]

Went to a clinic at the suchumvit end of nern plub waan.Doctor from Bangkok Pattaya has set up on his own.Very thorough.Blood test,urine test,about 2 grams of antbiotic fed in my arm through a drip and 2 more lots of medicine-1400bt.Get the blood test results at 8pm tonight.Doctor thinks its DENGUE FEVER

 

I wonder why a doctor would administer an antibiotic for a viral infection?

 

Since Dengue can morph to DHF without a lot of notice I would suggest a hospital where they have identified and treated Dengue is a better idea than a doctor who gives antibiotics for it.

 

There is a rapid dengue test that a hospital would have given by now.

 

I've had it twice, only 2 more serotypes to go and I will be immune.

[jacko 8,822]

 

 

I've had it twice, only 2 more serotypes to go and I will be immune.

OR...................

[Gonzo 419]

Does someone know the cost of seeing a doctor there?

 

There is a chance you can contract Dengue fever in Pattaya, but you would be one of the unlucky few cases reported each year. Ricktoronto is right when he says Dengue fever should not be treated with antibiotics. I don’t understand why so many doctors prescribe antibiotics for a viral illness like influenza or in your case Dengue fever. There is a lot of useful information on the Internet about Dengue fever. The different varieties seem to affect people in different ways, ranging from a harmless illness to life-threatening conditions. Good luck and hope the result of the blood test are not what your doctor thinks it is and is just a bout of the common cold or influenza. I am not surprised that doctor worked at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. At the BPH you will often be sold unnecessary and useless medication at highly inflated prices. I got caught out a couple of times, when after paying my bills for a consultation or treatment. After closer inspection of the medications, I found out that in addition to the required medication, I had paid for Paracetamol and vitamin tablets from their dispensary as well at five times the price from what I would have paid from a pharmacy out on the streets.

The main purpose of the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital is to make as much money out of their patients and not the patient's health. Unless you have a serious medical emergency and you need immediate medical help, stay away from the place and visit a doctor in a clinic or a Government Hospital. The Bangkok Pattaya Hospital will not treat you unless they are assured that you are capable to pay for an inpatient stay in their hospital. An insurance policy from your home country is no guarantee they will admit you. They will scan your credit or debit card to make sure there is sufficient money to start emergency treatment. To have least THB 100 000 on your card at all times would be advisable, in my opinion.

I felt really crook with food poisoning some time ago and was shitting water only. I thought I would recover by myself with rest and drinking soup and water mixed with electrolytes so I would not become dehydrated. There was no improvement after 4 days and I could hardly walk or talk. I then told the missus to ring the PBH emergency number (1719) to pick me up in one of their cars, not an ambulance. I paid THB 2000 to the driver to pick me up outside the condominium. I saw a doctor in the outpatients department and he said he would like to keep me in a ward for observation. They then asked me if I had enough money on me to pay for the treatment of my problem. They walked me to the cashier and deducted THB 10 000 from my debit card.

Only then would they take me to a ward where I was put on a vitamin drip. I saw a doctor once in the ward for a about 5 minutes and a nurse three times to have my blood pressure and my temperature taken. The slow drip wanted to make me piss badly a couple of times. I was unable to use the bottle they gave me, lying in a prone position in a much too small bed, hooked up to the drip. I pushed the button to call the nurse, as I thought my bladder was going to rupture. The unfriendly nurse reluctantly untangled all the wires connected to the computerized drip machine and then walked me to the toilet to have a piss. I did the same twice more with the help of my capable partner, as the nurse was an unhelpful and grumpy bitch. I am not a difficult patient or a whinger when it comes to getting treatment in a hospital. I had a few longish stays in hospitals after work and car accidents in Australia and there were never any problems. I can tolerate pain well, but I want assistance by the staff when I have to piss or shit.

I was admitted to the ward late at night and started to feel better during the night, waiting for the bottle from the vitamin drip to empty itself into my system. In all fairness, the vitamin drip seemed to have done the trick and made me feel better. When the bottle was finally empty we called the nurse to unhook me from the computerized setup. Instead she came back with a new bottle to be connected. I told her there was no way I would accept more of the same treatment as I was feeling fine. She ran off with a sour face to get a doctor, which took about one hour. In the meantime I managed to discard the hospital gown and dress myself with my own clothes, including the shoes with the help of my missus, with the drip still attached to my arm. When the doctor finally showed up, he took he took my blood pressure and temperature and said I was fine to go home. Before I was allowed to go home I was once more taken to the cashier and had to pay a further THB 13000, THB 23000 all up for a 10 hour stay in the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. I have since made contingency plans should I get sick again in a similar way, with friends taking me to a Government Hospital a thirty minute drive from Pattaya, where such a treatment would cost approximately THB 3000 or less.

I believe the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital is very good at treating patients with emergency heart problems. I think MM will probably agree. If I had a serious heart condition I would consult the heart department there myself. I had a friend staying here on holidays two years ago and when he got really sick with chest pain, I took him to the BPH, where he had a triple heart bypass operation and a pacemaker/ defibrillator inserted. He made a full recovery and the doctors in Australia giving him follow-up treatment were saying, the BPH surgeons did a very good job. Luckily, he had full insurance and no pre-existing heart problems. I guess the operation without insurance would have cost about 2 million THB.

I had some very good treatment from Dr Thitima Vivatanakul, when I had a gastroscopy and a colonoscopy. She removed a couple of small polyps, which can become cancerous if ignored. She works with Dr Somkiat Meteveravong, a radiologist in the Gastroenterologis Department. Dr. Thitima is a liver and kidney specialist as well and I had an ultrasound of my whole abdomen done two years ago, which turned out all right. Those outpatient treatments were expensive, in excess of THB 80 000.

The wife has been getting six-monthly checks at the BPH, mammography and ultrasound as she has a couple of small of small lumps in one of her breasts. Again the doctors at the BPH are very proficient treating her problem. Now, after five years of check-ups she has been downgraded to BI RAD 2, which means there have been no changes with her small lumps in her left breast and a minimal chance of getting breast cancer. We might now do her check-ups at a different hospital, probably in Bangkok, where she knows a good hospital her family has been using for a very long time.

We had bad and costly experiences with eye doctors at the BPH. I was wrongly diagnosed with conjunctivitis, when it was a case of blocked tear ducts and when they checked the wife’s eyes they wanted to remove a small pterygium for THB 10 000. According to eye specialists in other hospitals, it is not necessary to remove a small growth, unless it becomes large enough and causes the patient vision problems.

The Eye clinic at the Queen Sirikit Hospital is excellent, but one has to get there early in the morning around 7AM and then be patient to wait one’s turn. It is advisable to have a Thai speaking person with you when visiting a Government Hospital. The doctors there are often the same you will see at the three private hospitals in Pattaya. To have the wife’s pterygium would cost about THB 400, should it become necessary. I had three small procedures done on my eyelids in the same hospital for a few hundred baht. It would have cost thousands of baht at the BPH.

The outpatient department at the Banglamung Hospital in Naklua is actually quite good, if you want to take your wife or girlfriend there and the medicines are sold at the right price. It is the most crowed outpatient department I have ever seen, but the patients and staff are friendly. I walked around the place and would have liked to take a few pictures, but that would not have been very polite with so many Thais waiting to see a doctor. Most Thais seem to be a bit camera shy, unlike the working girls in the bars.

The Thais living in the Banglamung Amphur can get treatment and medicines there under the 30 baht scheme. They need to provide the blue house book (Tabien Baan) with their name in it from the dwelling they are living in and their Thai ID card and they will be the put on the hospital’s computer and then be entitled to get treatment under the 30 baht scheme. I had the wife register just in case there is an emergency when I am not around. It is unlikely we will ever use their services, but one can never know for certain. I had a good look at their emergency department as well and it looked like a very good facility to me.

I would not want to be an inpatient in the Banglamung Hospital. I visited a friend once a couple of years ago. He had a broken hip and shoulder from a motor bike accident and was kicked out from the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, when he ran out of money after paying about one million THB. He was transferred to the Banglamung Hospital on the fourth floor until his family repatriated him back to Europe.

The fourth floor at the Banglamung Hospital is just one large room with a few partitions and ten rows of beds with ten beds each. The beds were so close together so patients would touch the other patient when extending their arms sideways. My friend was the only Farang patient. In addition to the patients on the 100 beds they were about 50 more patients lying on beds in the corridors and outside next to the elevator. Some of the Thai patients had family members sleeping under their beds or standing at the end of the bed. The nurses were behind a glass wall observing the ward. I did not see any nursing staff attending any patients when I visited about 9PM on that day four about one hour.

With the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital there is good and bad like in most other hospitals, but I have never seen a hospital like the BPH where overcharging patients with enormous bills is more important than the treatment provided. The most annoying thing about that hospital is their check-up-packages. Every time you go there, they will try to convince you, that it important to have one, as it gives them an accurate picture about you overall health. Those packages range in price from THB 5800 to THB 40 000 and consist mainly of blood tests, urine sample tests et cetera. I don’t need a BPH package to have my blood pressure and glucose levels tested. I can do that myself at home and I can work out my body mass index in 5 seconds.

You can get the same tests done in Government hospitals or the pathology clinics in a little Soi off Third Road near Soi 17 near the overpass near a Minimart and Laundry Express (Tel. 038 488048 or 086 8129397). The place is called Lifecare Laboratory. There is also a good pathologist in Naklua diagonally across the Bank of Ayudhya on Naklua Road (Tel. 038 367326 or 081 8632868). Look out for a small shop and it is called Pattaya Clinic Laboratory. The pathology clinics have also different check-up-packages at a fraction of the price from what you will pay at the private hospitals, especially the BPH.

Those pathologists will give you a pretty good idea about your general and sexual health, if you want to check that as well. You can also take your test results to the hospital or the doctor of your choice, where they will be readily accepted and interpreted. Certain tests, if you are suffering from a disease, are done in hospitals only with more sophisticated equipment.

I have also noticed another negative thing about the BPH. They will treat you unnecessarily for non-existing conditions. I had a small black mole in the corner of my lower lip and thought I should get it looked at. The dermatologist said a biopsy was needed, to make sure it was not a melanoma. The biopsy report said all was fine and the small black spot was an age spot. That procedure cost me THB 7500. When I saw my dermatologist in Australia for my yearly skin cancer check I told him about the biopsy on my lip in Thailand. He said it was not necessary to have the biopsy done in the first place. It should have been observed for any changes in size, colour or shape for several months and if there were no changes it would be regarded as harmless. My dermatologist had several basal skin carcinomas removed from my face and back over the years, as I worked most of the time in the sun. I am not a hypochondriac.

One of the bigger problems living in Thailand is what to do when one gets sick. Health insurance is often useless, as many insurance companies will make every effort not to pay. Read all the fine print about exclusions and pre-existing conditions before you sign up and pay for an insurance policy. I have a travel insurance, which covers me for accidents and third party liabilities only. It is difficult to get good health insurance in Thailand after age sixty.

Should I get seriously ill or have a bad accident here I would consider taking the next plane back to Australia, if I am capable to do so. With other less threating problems I will play it by ear. If the problem can be fixed in a Government hospital I will choose one of them near Sattahip, Sri Racha or Bangkok. If someone has any better ideas, I would like to know about them.

 

 

.

[jacko 8,822]

Good post Gonzo, very informative.

 

I might just take you to task over the BPH medical check up, my opinion differs a little.

 

Firstly there is always a special offer for The King's Birthday, (November through January) and a medical can be had for a reduced price. Last year I had the top level one done for 20,000 baht, and it was quite comprehensive (ultrasound, stress test blood/piss/shit analysis etc), it took all day and even offered the option of an overnight stay, and included a meal voucher (after skipping breakfast etc quite necessary).

Fortunately they didn't take the opportunity to scare me with some unnecessary procedures and prognosis of dire consequence. Although I must admit to having been very aggravated (a visit some years back) to find I too had been prescribed overpriced paracetamol at BPH when I always have the 20 baht SaRa blister packs (at 20 baht for 10 pills at Fascinos). at home. The indication of mercenary commission orientated doctors who really do not have your best interest at heart.

Edited April 14, 2012 by jacko

[simon_cook 22]

I wonder why a doctor would administer an antibiotic for a viral infection?

 

Since Dengue can morph to DHF without a lot of notice I would suggest a hospital where they have identified and treated Dengue is a better idea than a doctor who gives antibiotics for it.

 

There is a rapid dengue test that a hospital would have given by now.

 

I've had it twice, only 2 more serotypes to go and I will be immune.

I said the doctor thought it was Dengue but gave me antibiotics just to cover other things until the blood test came back.

Had the results this morning and it is Dengue Fever definately.Have not been anywhere outside Pattaya and mostly stayed in my house.The only place i went was Cambo for visa run and was only out of the car for an hr.That was weeks ago so i think not that.

There has been a lot of local news reports saying that there is a lot of dengue in Pattaya.

My friend told me this morning his mrs had it 4 weeks ago,caught in Pattaya.

So be careful out there cause its not nice.Thought i was gonna DIE.

[Grandpollo 366]

I said the doctor thought it was Dengue but gave me antibiotics just to cover other things until the blood test came back.

Had the results this morning and it is Dengue Fever definately.Have not been anywhere outside Pattaya and mostly stayed in my house.The only place i went was Cambo for visa run and was only out of the car for an hr.That was weeks ago so i think not that.

There has been a lot of local news reports saying that there is a lot of dengue in Pattaya.

My friend told me this morning his mrs had it 4 weeks ago,caught in Pattaya.

So be careful out there cause its not nice.Thought i was gonna DIE.

 

Doctors prescribing antibiotics without even something as simple as a gram stain under a microscope is why we get antiobiotic resistant bacteria and in your case it was completely useless as a treatment as you found out.

 

A hospital is where to go if you suspect dengue . Your test took 3 days vs. the 15 minute rapid Dengue test a hospital would administer as a good reason why.

[Grandpollo 366]

OR...................

 

Or what? There are 4 serotypes and if you get 4 cases you're immune including DHF.

 

Even DHF is easily treatable if kind of gross, symptom-wise.

[jacko 8,822]

Or what? There are 4 serotypes and if you get 4 cases you're immune including DHF.

 

Even DHF is easily treatable if kind of gross, symptom-wise.

And everyone thinks docs are clever....

You will be immune OR it will kill ya!

[simon_cook 22]

Doctors prescribing antibiotics without even something as simple as a gram stain under a microscope is why we get antiobiotic resistant bacteria and in your case it was completely useless as a treatment as you found out.

 

A hospital is where to go if you suspect dengue . Your test took 3 days vs. the 15 minute rapid Dengue test a hospital would administer as a good reason why.

Had blood test at 4pm afternoon and got results 9am following morning.Bear in mind they had to send them to the lab as i was only at clinic.I feel better now .Dont really care how.I felt so fuckin ill im just happy im back to normal.I was more than happy with their prices and care.I would go there again and happily recommend them to anyone. Edited April 17, 2012 by simon_cook

[Gary 4,119]

I just had a checkup at a private hospital in Loei. They took a urine sample and two vials of blood. All the results were back from the lab within an hour. There were fifteen different tests on the list. I have no idea what most of them were for. The main ones that I knew about were the chest X-ray, EKG, circulation test, uric acid, kidney function, liver function and hepatitis. The results were that my sugar level was at the top safe level and my triglycerides were too high. Cholesterol level was normal and all other tests were in the normal range.

 

The test costs were 2,760 baht and I was prescribed four different drugs that cost 795 baht total. The peace of mind was well worth the cost. I may have to continue taking drugs for my triglycerides and enlarged prostate. I'm supposed to go back in a month to get my blood tested again.

[farang1 7]

I havnt been there for years but last time i went it was 500bt for doctor + meds.

Was gonna go today .Been ill for 3 days with flu like symptoms.Feel like shite.I dont think i can face the traffic and heat outside.

Are there any cheaper hospitals?

 

I was thinking the same thing. 2700 baht doesn't sound like that good of a deal.

[BigDUSA 71]

I was thinking the same thing. 2700 baht doesn't sound like that good of a deal.

 

When I'm sick, I don't worry about saving a few pennies. I'm interested in a hospital that will provide a high level of quality care. What I know about Bangkok Pattaya Hospital it's accredited by the American Joint Commission on Hospital's. They have rigorous standard's that must be met. My wife is a nurse and she was impressed when they inspected her hospital.