Good general doctor

[DD86]

I am in Chiang Mai and want to see a doctor to review my medication. For a long time I swallowed the same stuff and there surely must have popped up some good or better alternatives.

Which hospital should I turn to in your opinion? Rajavej, Lanna, McCormick? Yeah, I know people say Ram is best, but if you are that expensive that you are giving 20% discount to attrackt 'customers' ......................

Thanks.

Edited April 15, 2023 by DD86

[novacova]

Try geriatric hospital in hangdong. Good hospital good doctors and not expensive.

[DD86]

25 minutes ago, novacova said:

Try geriatric hospital in hangdong. Good hospital good doctors and not expensive.

Thank you, wouldn't have thought of this hospital.

[pgrahmm]

Dr Morgan seems to be very popular....

Health Care Medical Clinic in Hang Dong...

Check out their FB page....

They also publish health updates & current maladies & medication/vaccine availability.....

 

[nigelforbes]

Good luck, if you find one, let us all know.

 

Trying to find a competent objective doctor in Chiang Mai who is current and up to date with medical knowledge AND who is not trying to milk foreigners, is seriously difficult. Any review of current medication is likely to lead to blood tests in order to assess the current state of play, and that's the thin edge of the wedge. Doctors here like to prescribe the latest meds, even though in many cases the older more established meds are perfectly adequate, they are also usually substantially cheaper but that fact will usually be overlooked. One of the problems with leading edge meds is that their performance and side effects are not always fully understood so don't expect any doctor here to go into any detail about medication risks etc. TBH, if all I wanted was a meds review I might be tempted to go have a discussion with the pharmacist at Dara Pharmacy who knows far more than most general doctors do regarding meds and alternatives and risks.

 

Like I said at the outset, if you find one, please let us all know, in over 20 years I haven't. 

[DD86]

23 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

Good luck, if you find one, let us all know.

 

Trying to find a competent objective doctor in Chiang Mai who is current and up to date with medical knowledge AND who is not trying to milk foreigners, is seriously difficult. Any review of current medication is likely to lead to blood tests in order to assess the current state of play, and that's the thin edge of the wedge. Doctors here like to prescribe the latest meds, even though in many cases the older more established meds are perfectly adequate, they are also usually substantially cheaper but that fact will usually be overlooked. One of the problems with leading edge meds is that their performance and side effects are not always fully understood so don't expect any doctor here to go into any detail about medication risks etc. TBH, if all I wanted was a meds review I might be tempted to go have a discussion with the pharmacist at Dara Pharmacy who knows far more than most general doctors do regarding meds and alternatives and risks.

 

Like I said at the outset, if you find one, please let us all know, in over 20 years I haven't. 

Same goes for my experiences. Even in a severe case I came up with the right diagnose myself, including medication proposal which the specialist was unable to. I fear in many cases the doctors here are pretty ignorant sometimes at least that seems to be.

I have a very good pharmacist who helped me thru many problems. I'll check him out first.

Cheers.

Edited April 17, 2023 by DD86

[Sparkles]

I would strongly recommend Doctor Nisachon Morgan at Health Care Medical Clinic. My doctor for more than 11 years. Thai lady with excellent English and 2 registered nurses on staff. Her clinic is opposite the Geriatic Hospital on Hang Dong Road. Many expats have made this their first choice as the care is is very professional. See web site or fb page. Appointment is required. 

[Raindancer]

I have used Doctor Tawatchai for the past 15 years on Loi Khro Road.   He is without doubt the best practitioner I have used.  He has a great bedside manner, is totally honest and does not over subscribe, nor overcharge.

 

In the beginning I visited many specialists for a few ailments and then back to Doctor Tawatchai, who diagnosed me correctly with great results.

 

He is always correct in his treatment,  and is now my first port of call, whereas another GP I visited in the Hang Dong area, just got it completely wrong and charged me hospital rates.  Way above what Dr Tawatchai charged.

 

Once you are registered with him, you can actually phone first thing in the morning and obtain an appointment.

 

Hope that helps the OP.

[nigelforbes]

11 minutes ago, Raindancer said:

I have used Doctor Tawatchai for the past 15 years on Loi Khro Road.   He is without doubt the best practitioner I have used.  He has a great bedside manner, is totally honest and does not over subscribe, nor overcharge.

 

In the beginning I visited many specialists for a few ailments and then back to Doctor Tawatchai, who diagnosed me correctly with great results.

 

He is always correct in his treatment,  and is now my first port of call, whereas another GP I visited in the Hang Dong area, just got it completely wrong and charged me hospital rates.  Way above what Dr Tawatchai charged.

 

Once you are registered with him, you can actually phone first thing in the morning and obtain an appointment.

 

Hope that helps the OP.

What you have written is also my past experience although I have yet to visit Dr Tawatchai, I have heard very good things about him repeatedly over the years.

 

Just to add, there are a number of general practise doctors around the province who are married to foreigners. My experience of them is that their English language and marketing skills appear much better than their diagnostic and patient treatment skills. 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by nigelforbes

[Raindancer]

Just now, nigelforbes said:

What you have written is also my past experience although I have yet to visit Dr Tawatchai, I have heard very good things about him repeatedly over the years.

 

 

Thank you.  I have to say that he has never misdiagnosed anything I have visited him for. 

In fact he diagnosed me correctly on several occasions when so called specialists in their field got it completely wrong.

Furthermore, as we get older and some issues crop up, he actually explains why this is with the human body, and reassures you that your worries are unfounded and how to deal with it.

 

He is extremely likeable and his English is impeccable.

[Mark1066]

I've consistently found McCormick Hospital to be the best in Chiang Mai, for my needs at least. Ram and Lanna (and Theppanya) are owned by the same group and seem focused on maximising profits rather than patient care. Had a number of disappointing experiences at all three and won't visit them now. Bangkok Hospital is okay but expensive and again, rather too keen on recommending expensive tests and procedures when they're not necessarily needed or the best option. That's just my personal opinion of course, which is worth nothing as I am not a doctor.

[nigelforbes]

15 minutes ago, Mark1066 said:

I've consistently found McCormick Hospital to be the best in Chiang Mai, for my needs at least. Ram and Lanna (and Theppanya) are owned by the same group and seem focused on maximising profits rather than patient care. Had a number of disappointing experiences at all three and won't visit them now. Bangkok Hospital is okay but expensive and again, rather too keen on recommending expensive tests and procedures when they're not necessarily needed or the best option. That's just my personal opinion of course, which is worth nothing as I am not a doctor.

As always it's a case of different people having different experiences here. My experience of McC has been very poor although at one time it was good, today I avoid them completely. But I do agree with your comments regarding the other hospitals, pricing and profit have taken over completely.

[lexilis]

What is the name of Dr. Tawatchai's clinic on Loi Kroh? Thanks.

[Mark1066]

6 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

As always it's a case of different people having different experiences here. My experience of McC has been very poor although at one time it was good, today I avoid them completely. But I do agree with your comments regarding the other hospitals, pricing and profit have taken over completely.

Yes, you do have a point, it's just that my experiences with those hospitals have been so consistently bad over the years. But it is a little like asking whether Seagate or WD hard drives are better. The answer will depend on which one caused the person you asked to lose all their data most recently.

Edited April 18, 2023 by Mark1066

[DD86]

ลอยเคราะห์คลินิก Loi Kroh Medical Clinic

Route

 

 

 

 

 

Opslaan

Bellen

 

[Raindancer]

9 minutes ago, lexilis said:

What is the name of Dr. Tawatchai's clinic on Loi Kroh? Thanks.

Hi

It is called Loi Khro Medical Clinic.  It is on the right hand side, adjacent to the Wat.

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Raindancer

[nigelforbes]

One of the problems in CM is that CMU is the third best rated medical training facility in the country, many graduates already live here and stay on to practise after they graduate. Becoming an associate professor or similar at CMU seems to be what everyone aspires to and there seems to be loads of them, that and consulting hours at a private hospital or three, in addition to hours at the district hospital which is where the real work gets done. All those things guarantee a decent wage.

 

But there is very little external influence and there is no higher level to aspire to locally, if a doctor wants to go to the next level in their career they have to go to Bangkok and some do. But most seem content with comfortable lives locally. There is also a significant degree of clan and clone. Relationships formed in University continue afterwards, everyone knows everyone else, every specialist was trained by the same master and all doctors optimise their earnings via consulting privilege's at the private hospitals. All doctors in a particular specialism seem to know exactly the same things and not much more. The web sites of the major private hospitals all show available doctors that can be chosen by patients for consultation, there are over 350 at each, many doctors are registered at all private hospitals. I once had a dispute with one specialist at a private hospital and was unable subsequently to get a consultation with any specialist in the same field in CM, for different reasons, one even said she didn't consult with farangs! The result was that I went to Bangkok for treatment.

 

The "industry" badly needs a shake up. Standards need to be raised, oversight needs to be implemented and the focus moved away from money and on to patient care. I think this happens much better with locals at the District Hospital, the problem is that most foreigners use only the private hospitals which have become a money earning distraction for medical professionalism. In Bangkok at least, there are many competing hospitals where the standards and knowledge levels are very high, Chiang Mai needs that same degree of competition, if market forces alone are to solve the problem.

[cnx1204]

I do not know about the other hospitals, but Bangkok Hospital Chiangmai has a web site with all the doctors searchable my name and specialty/clinic.  Sure, you can let price/cost drive our decision, but I suggest you also think about the doctors' backgrounds.   You get a doctor that got his MD back in the 1990s and shows no further education after that, it should make you wonder.   If the doctor got his degrees back whenever and only worked in Khon Kaen until recently moving to Chiangmai, you might wonder some more.

 

A expat didn't like the treatment he was getting at Khon Kaen Ram, plus the doctor refused to do some of the tests he wanted.  He came to Chiangmai Ram and he said it was like night and day.

 

And older woman friend fell down and hit her head in Chaiyaphum and went to Ram hospital.  Sent her home with pills, pain got worse, went back and found our Chaiyaphum Ram does not have an MRI machine.

 

So, DD86, you are wondering if they might be newer and better meds for you.  You will need to find the doctor who has kept up on his education AND works in a facilities that keeps up with the times.

[nigelforbes]

3 minutes ago, cnx1204 said:

I do not know about the other hospitals, but Bangkok Hospital Chiangmai has a web site with all the doctors searchable my name and specialty/clinic.  Sure, you can let price/cost drive our decision, but I suggest you also think about the doctors' backgrounds.   You get a doctor that got his MD back in the 1990s and shows no further education after that, it should make you wonder.   If the doctor got his degrees back whenever and only worked in Khon Kaen until recently moving to Chiangmai, you might wonder some more.

 

A expat didn't like the treatment he was getting at Khon Kaen Ram, plus the doctor refused to do some of the tests he wanted.  He came to Chiangmai Ram and he said it was like night and day.

 

And older woman friend fell down and hit her head in Chaiyaphum and went to Ram hospital.  Sent her home with pills, pain got worse, went back and found our Chaiyaphum Ram does not have an MRI machine.

 

So, DD86, you are wondering if they might be newer and better meds for you.  You will need to find the doctor who has kept up on his education AND works in a facilities that keeps up with the times.

All four of the major private hospitals show virtually all the same doctors on their respective web sites, they are all available to be consulted but none actually have consulting privilege's at those hospitals, until they are chosen by a patient.

[DD86]

17 hours ago, cnx1204 said:

I do not know about the other hospitals, but Bangkok Hospital Chiangmai has a web site with all the doctors searchable my name and specialty/clinic.  Sure, you can let price/cost drive our decision, but I suggest you also think about the doctors' backgrounds.   You get a doctor that got his MD back in the 1990s and shows no further education after that, it should make you wonder.   If the doctor got his degrees back whenever and only worked in Khon Kaen until recently moving to Chiangmai, you might wonder some more.

 

A expat didn't like the treatment he was getting at Khon Kaen Ram, plus the doctor refused to do some of the tests he wanted.  He came to Chiangmai Ram and he said it was like night and day.

 

And older woman friend fell down and hit her head in Chaiyaphum and went to Ram hospital.  Sent her home with pills, pain got worse, went back and found our Chaiyaphum Ram does not have an MRI machine.

 

So, DD86, you are wondering if they might be newer and better meds for you.  You will need to find the doctor who has kept up on his education AND works in a facilities that keeps up with the times.

Sure, that's why I posted my question. You tell me where to find this doctor then.

[vandeventer]

On 4/17/2023 at 1:51 PM, DD86 said:

Same goes for my experiences. Even in a severe case I came up with the right diagnose myself, including medication proposal which the specialist was unable to. I fear in many cases the doctors here are pretty ignorant sometimes at least that seems to be.

I have a very good pharmacist who helped me thru many problems. I'll check him out first.

Cheers.

The doctors here like to cut, this is where they make good money. The pills you are taking now are they working? If they are stick with them you will be much happier.