Got an ear infection last week and decided to get it checked out at the Bangkok Pattaya hospital which I have been using for years and until recently I have been very happy in general with the service.

I saw the doctor who looked to be about 25 dressed in street clothes, she had a quick look in my ear then used the same device to look in the other ear and pronounced that I had an ear infection and would need ear drops and some oral medicine. I then went in another room and she cleaned it out with a special machine.

Now for the interesting bit, the bill. 1,186 for the medication (less than 600 at Foodland pharmacyfor same medication), special diagnostics 400, packaged medical charge 200, physician evaluation 500, physician procedure fee 300. Total 2,586 Baht for less than 10 minutes with the doctor.

Previous visits were nothing like this, I remember years ago the PIC clinic had three pricing scales Thai, Expat and Tourist. It seems Bangkok Pattaya Hospital wants to gouge every foreigner that walks thru the door.

guess the new building was more expensive then they thought it would be

Here we go again

If I remember me correct, I paid at PIC around 1000 Baht for the same treatment. But that was in late 2005, so I don't know how much they would charge. Bangkok Pattaya is off my List since last year, to expensive and I was not happy how they treated my broken foot.

It's easy to get a ear infection here, because the water in the sea is not very clean. I dive regularely and have one ore two infections a year. I don't go to a hospital anymore. I buy DEXOPH Eye/Ear Drops. They cost 35 Baht or so, you just have to ask, as first they like to sell u "western" medicine for 200 ore 300 baht. After two days usually everything is back to normal, but I use them for 7 days. If you want to clean out your ear, use Dewax; a Earwax remover, cost are 80 Baht. For 115 Baht you get the same result.

I seem to get more than my share of ear infections. On a visit to Bangkok last October, I went to see my old ENT doc at BNH (I now live in Pattaya and miss him) because I was frustrated that my Pattaya (B-PH) ENT doc simply kept prescribing oral antibiotics and I don't like taking them so frequently. Last year I went through a period where I was on antibiotics once a month for about five months for recurring infections. Each dose would kill the current infection, but then a few weeks later I'd get a new infection.

The BNH ENT said that for some reason the pH of my ear canal was probably too alkaline and recommended I flush out the canal with a prescribed acetic acid (vinegar) solution twice a day to raise the acidity to a normal level to help fight infection. He also prescribed some local antibiotic drops to apply directly to the infected ear drum to treat the current infection. Perfect solution. I have also been infection-free for about five months now. If I feel like I'm about to get an infection ... there is a predictable sensation of something like liquid against my eardurm ... I revert to the vinegar solution for a few days, and it clears up.

He is the only doctor I've met in Thailand who can "think outside the box."