Hi

 

Does anyone have any experience with Suan Prung psychiatric hospital in Chiang Mai, good or bad?

 

My ex, who has a history of drug abuse, has been to rehab facilities in her home town in Isaan, and for the last four years has been taking a range of meds prescribed by doctors at the psychiatric hospital there. I have no idea what diagnosis/prognosis she's been given and I'm really not convinced the standard of care available there is adequate, hence this post regarding Suan Prung. (I live in Chiang Mai.)

 

Many thanks for any information.

I have a friend who was in there  and I went to visit .

From what I could gather , it seemed professional and well run

I second that

Yes. Good quality.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Thanks for the replies, that's very encouraging.

 

Is it a simple case of calling to make an appointment, or is it best to first visit them to talk in person?

 

Also, I'm assuming they have English speaking doctors?

I don't think you can make an appointment, it's first come-first serve and, like any government hospital, expect long waits. Arrive very early to get into the queue.

 

But you should find out if there is a special clinic for drug abusers so as to be sure of showing up on the right day. You could try calling their hotline 1323  though I am not sure if they speak English.

 

yes, they have English speaking doctors though fluency will vary by individual. As it is a government hospital most initial treatment is from residents in training, they often do nto speak English as well as the more senior doctors but again varies with the person.

 

The delays and red tape will be worst on the first visit and usually better once she is in the system and has follow up appointments so be patient and don't despair if the first day yo ugo is an oreeal.

Thank you Sheryl, that's very helpful.

They have a couple of nurses in their Outpatient dept who speak good English who usually spot baffled looking foreigners on first-time visit and come, offering to help them.  The OPD area is one big open room with the doctor offices ringing the open waiting area, so it's easy for them to spot some who is wandering about, confused about how to start the appointment-making process.

 

As Sheryl said, they may set aside certain days of the week to treat people with substance abuse problems and the nurses can recommend a doctor with better English-language skills.  Since the OP is in Chiang Mai, a personal visit to Suan Prung's OPD is recommended for orientation before bringing his ex in for treatment.

 

And if in-patient treatment is recommended, Suan Prung seems to have a slightly better environment than other government hospitals.  Many of the ward rooms have airconditioning, although it's used sparingly and the food is much better than what is served at Suan Dok. The grounds are pretty and patients are usually welcome to go out onto the grounds with visitors.  (not by themselves, of course) 

Thank you for the additional info Nancy.

Usual waiting time is about 5 hours and then another hour to get your meds, which are ridiculously cheap even for foreigners.

It's a bit of a depressing place ,on many of the patients files there is a sticker that says "Potential Suicide" not in Thai so most of them don't know what it says.

 

I had cause to visit because I had unwittingly became addicted to Tramol tablets, when I was going through a tough time healthwise (these are openly on sale at AP PLaza).  It took me three days to stop my skin itching but it passed, now I won't touch them ever again