I’ve been away from Canada for so long now that I barely remember how the much-vaunted health care system works there anymore. Thankfully I’ve never needed a major operation, and any minor procedures I ever had done were just kind of…taken care of. Whenever I visited a doctor in Canada, I always trusted them 100%. Sure, you might get a second opinion, but you were always pretty sure that each doctor had your best interests in mind and that each one would narrow your ailment down to a fairly specific ballpark. But in Thailand, it sometimes takes a while to learn that things might not always be what they seem, and you have options as to the who, what, and where of your healthcare.
An example: a visting friend of mine, whose “Can it get any worse?” story was featured in a previous post, went to a hospital in Bangkok to get an injury checked out. It wasn’t pretty and needed attention, and the doctor told him he needed to check in right away. At this, the nurse brought in a wheelchair and told him they’d take him to his room. My friend seemed resigned to his fate and started to get worried – “I don’t know if any of this covered by my insurance, I need to call them, I left my passport at the hotel…” etc. I told him that he didn’t have to say if he didn’t want to – to which he was a bit shocked – and we thanked the doctor, got his affairs in order, and went to a closer, more convenient hospital. In Canada, you don’t have to do what the doctor says…but you usually just do without much thought because, well, he’s a doctor.
“I sure hope that was his lung, or we’re in real trouble.”
My own experience has been similar, but with a twist. Recently I visited a hospital in Bangkok to address a couch surfing sports injury that was acting up. After an examination and X-Ray, the doctor told me that non-emergency (but still not-minor) surgery was needed, at a cost of 70,000 baht. I can’t even describe to you how much of a non-option that was, so I decided to hold off on that for a while.
A week or so later I stopped by another hospital, just for shits n’ giggles, and got a totally different answer. The doctor there told me I didn’t need surgery, and to try rubbing some of this 600 baht cream onto my sore spot. Long story short – I was pain-free in about 5 days. Granted, the injury is not 100% healed and some minor surgery might be warranted in the future, but it will definitely be much less involved and expensive than the first hospital told me.
Of course, all of this assumes that you’re either in a position to simply pay out of pocket for health care, or have a truly badass insurance plan that covers care at non-government facilities. I’m not even going to get into Thailand’s controversial 30 baht healthcare scheme or medical tourism.
Or enjoy sociopathic murder-nurses.
Essentially, private hospitals in Thailand are like cars – everyone has a reason why this one is awesome, and that one sucks. Some people are pessimists and would say that the first doctor was simply trying to jack me for a few thousand bucks; others would say doctors are only human and medical diagnoses are complex. Either way, it pays to hold your breath and shop around a bit.
…but don’t go crazy.
I've been in to the major three hospitals and one "lesser" place. My health insurance had a maximum per visit limit, and every time (except the "lesser"), they charged just enough to either max it or go a bit over, no matter how big or little the problem. They also prescribe absurd numbers of medications. I found that some Western management practices are on at the biggies, so they are probably trying to figure out how to take you for all they can so they can pay for the sort of medical "arms race" that results when state-o-the-art hospitals compete, getting all the latest bells and whistles to draw the lucrative foreigner market. No one seems to question their doctor, there is no Be your own advocate. Thai friends get meds and I ask them what they are taking and why, and they tell me they don't know. That just spooks me out.
I've been treated at the big B and received excellent care. When I move to Bangkok I plan to use the Chula night clinic. Same excellent doctors but not motivated by the bottom line so the prices are much lower than private.
Thai "Doctors" lol.
I had 2 skin specialists from hospitals misdiagnose skin problems (chicken pox = diagnosis flea bites, then a bacterial infection = diagnosis eczma). Another told an ex-girlfriend that a common uninary tract infection was a "farang disease" and that was "what you get for sleeping with farangs".
I prefer to self diagnose using wikipedia, then self mediacting from a friendly pharmacy.
I have had excellent care at Bumrungrad and all of my trips to Bangkok Hospital Dental Clinic have been first class. One of the reasons why doctor's in Thailand prescribe so many meds at a private hospital is the fact that they earn a percentage of every baht they prescribe. If your insurance plan is limited/non-existent, you can get the prescription filled off-site for a fraction of what they would charge you in the hospital.