SupermaNZ

I noticed the commentary around the medical care in Prachuap Khiri Khan (where my Thai wife and I moved around 2 months ago) (previously having been in Phitsanulok Province). I had reason to visit the PKK Public Hospital today, and I have to say that I was quite impressed. Gleamingly clean, snazzy MRI scanner, with new patient-processing technology (obviously installed very recently) which makes the process of registration/ appointment confirmation/ payment/ prescription collection - extremely efficient (bar code readers for everything - automatically streaming/associating your details with each step of your visit). The original blood pressure & height measurement bar codes do seem to have some issues for non-Thai ID Card users - but other than that - everything worked extremely smoothly. Previously - we had been users of Naresuan University Hospital in Phitsanulok. Usually - University/Medical School Hospitals are at the cutting edge of new technology, etc. However - PKK Public Hospital (at least at this point in time) leaves Naresuan University Hospital (process-wise, at least) in the rear vision mirror. If a first-time visitor to PKK Public Hospital - the trick is to go exceptionally early for registration. Registration opens at 5am. If you are there around 6am - you get a queue number that means that you are well ahead of the ever-growing pack as the morning grinds on. The entire process is lengthy - count on being there from 6am through 2pm. Why not use Bangkok Hospital, I hear you say? Well - firstly, you pay a 50 Baht doctor's fee at PKK Public Hospital (as opposed to around 600+ baht for the likes of Bangkok Hospital). If you are supporting several people in the family - this soon adds up. Then (and much more importantly if (for example) you have a partner or parents-in-law who are suffering from expensive-to-control diseases like diabetes) - prescription charges are a fraction of what Bangkok Hospital charges (depending upon the nature of the medication/s, costs can be around 20% of what you might otherwise pay). Even with the PKK Public Hospital prescription cost savings - these costs can amount to ten/s of thousands of Baht/patient/year. Everything is a tradeoff - yes - you will often be out of a Bangkok Hospital/ other International Hospital within 2 hours for a run-of-the-mill medical complaint - versus up to 8 hours for PKK Public Hospital (or any Thai Public Hospital, for that matter) (the sheer number of patients makes the whole process slower/ less responsive). Take a power bank & an iPad. Watch a movie. Without doubt - use of the English language is much better at Bangkok Hospital/ other International Private Hospitals. But, having said that - PKK Public Hospital has very helpful bilingual signage everywhere (and very friendly/ helpful/ professional staff) - and if you have a Thai partner alongside you - language is not really such a significant issue. Useful tips: (1) prescription collection announcements are made using the patient's name (not your Queue Number) - dialect issues (and noise) can make these announcements tricky to pick up; and (2) PKK Public Hospital does not accept PromptPay. Take cash. There is a (single) ATM on the street outside the hospital. If that fails (as it did today) - Kasikorn Bank has (multiple) ATMs about a 5-10 minute walk away on the same street. For more complex medical matters - you may opt to travel to Hua Hin or Bangkok. For what its worth - as I mentioned - I was pretty pleasantly surprised today. No hesitation to return.

Hua Hin Immigration provide the attached explanatory note regarding documentation required (the attached Note was provided in August 2024). Note however that we were advised that the witness referred to in Item 13 may not only be required for the first extension but, if you are moving residence from one province to another - also for the first extension in your new province (in our case - Hua Hin). Note also (see Item 13) that if you have no children, a Thai witness/es may be required for each and every renewal. In relation to the latter - in practice, others may have had different experiences, and can comment here.

Budweisser (obviously). The 'Bud' refers to tooth buds, and the 'Weisser' refers to you being a lot wiser the third time round, once you have lost your baby teeth and your first-attempt adult teeth. Good luck, mate 😜