Colonoscopy and Endoscopy done by university professors for 10,000 THB? Yes, it exists

[LoveLanna]

 

Hello all,

 

I really have developed a strong sense of empathy for the many expats living in South-East Asia who are on a very tight budget. As such, I wanted to give a heads-up on how you can get a colonoscopy and endoscopy done at a much cheaper price than in Thailand.

 

My research of AseanNow indicates that -- as of this thread in November, 2023 -- a colonoscopy and endoscopy in Bangkok or Chiang Mai is, at a bare minimum, 30,000 THB ... maybe more? However, I have found a hospital that does these procedures for one-third of this price. Yes, 10,000 THB. It is in the city that I live in ... Saigon, Vietnam.

 

The University of Medicine and Pharmacy here in Saigon has its own hospital. It is called the University Medical Center. In contrast to many government hospitals in Vietnam, this hospital is very nice. Aside from that, the doctors who work at the hospital are teachers within the university itself.

 

In case you are worried about the competency of the doctors, I can put your mind at ease. South Vietnamese students are, in my opinion, the best in the world. They are extremely hard-working and intelligent, studying for long hours from a young age. Given that 100 million people live in Vietnam, the competition for the extremely low amount of university places for doctors is severe, to say the least. So, only the absolute best-of-the-best students end up studying medicine. On top of that, only the best-of-the-best of those studying medicine become teachers at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy. And these are the doctors who will attend to you at the University Medical Center.

 

I am in need of my 5 year colonoscopy and endoscopy, and went to the University Medical Center "International Clinic" office today to "book in" for the procedure (to "Book in" for a procedure you need to make an appointment to see the relevant specialist -- e.g. a gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy/endoscopy -- by calling the "International Clinic" office on +84 28 39 525 888 ... you may end up speaking to someone who has little English, but she will take your phone number and get a nurse with high quality English to call you back).

 

The beauty of this International Clinic "booking in" service is that you are chaproned by a Vietnamese nurse who speaks English, and she takes you to all the areas of the hospital you need to go to as part of the "booking in" process for a medical procedure. (The cost for this "booking in" process, which includes seeing a gastroenterologist to be referred for a colonoscopy and endoscopy, is 500,000 VND or about 720 THB). Just remember to take your passport, and be able to pay the 7,000,000 VND (as of NOV-2023) for the colonoscopy and endoscopy during the "booking in" procedure. (They take VND cash or MasterCard/Visa).

 

Please note, if you have an urgent need to get a colonoscopy/endoscopy (such as blood in your stool) let the nurse know when you first call the International Clinic. She will then fast track you to see the gastroenterologist. Furthermore, the gastorenterologist will then fast track you to get the colonscopy done. Due to me having discovered blood in my stool, I was able to see the gastroenterologist within 1 day, and be booked in for the colonoscopy/endoscopy within 2 days of seeing the gastroenterologist.

 

... also, when you have your colonoscopy, you need to have a relative or friend come with you. This is because there is a Vietnamese custom of needing to get approval from this person to take action if there is any kind of emergency during the procedure. This requirement means it is highly preferable to have a friend or relative in Saigon who can act in this manner for you.

 

Finally, I would be hesitant to recommend using a similar service in Hanoi. It has a very different culture (the opposite of Saigon?) that, in my opinion, is lacking in the honesty and work ethic of Saigon.

 

Anyway, I know that some of the people on AseanNow need to save every dollar they can, so I hope this is a help.

 

 

 

 

[bkk6060]

I flew back west for my Colonoscopy and herina.  I would never have some student there or in Thailand do a procedure like that.  There is a risk if they push to hard, they can tear your colon resulting in a serious surgery.  I think looking for the cheapest medical care can be a big mistake.

[LoveLanna]

6 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I flew back west for my Colonoscopy and herina.  I would never have some student there or in Thailand do a procedure like that.  There is a risk if they push to hard, they can tear your colon resulting in a serious surgery.  I think looking for the cheapest medical care can be a big mistake.

 

 

Sorry, the way I wrote it is a bit confusing. The procedure is only done by professors, not students. My point was that you can only become a professor by being one of the best-of-the-best students ... and to even be a student you have to be unbelievably intelligent due to extreme competition

 

[couchpotato]

1 hour ago, LoveLanna said:

 

Hello all,

 

I really have developed a strong sense of empathy for the many expats living in South-East Asia who are on a very tight budget. As such, I wanted to give a heads-up on how you can get a colonoscopy and endoscopy done at a much cheaper price than in Thailand.

 

My research of AseanNow indicates that -- as of this thread in November, 2023 -- a colonoscopy and endoscopy in Bangkok or Chiang Mai is, at a bare minimum, 30,000 THB ... maybe more? However, I have found a hospital that does these procedures for one-third of this price. Yes, 10,000 THB. It is in the city that I live in ... Saigon, Vietnam.

 

The University of Medicine and Pharmacy here in Saigon has its own hospital. It is called the University Medical Center. In contrast to many government hospitals in Vietnam, this hospital is very nice. Aside from that, the doctors who work at the hospital are teachers within the university itself.

 

In case you are worried about the competency of the doctors, I can put your mind at ease. South Vietnamese students are, in my opinion, the best in the world. They are extremely hard-working and intelligent, studying for long hours from a young age. Given that 100 million people live in Vietnam, the competition for the extremely low amount of university places for doctors is severe, to say the least. So, only the absolute best-of-the-best students end up studying medicine. On top of that, only the best-of-the-best of those studying medicine become teachers at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy. And these are the doctors who will attend to you at the University Medical Center.

 

I am in need of my 5 year colonoscopy and endoscopy, and went to the University Medical Center "International Clinic" office today to "book in" for the procedure (to "Book in" for a procedure you need to make an appointment to see the relevant specialist -- e.g. a gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy/endoscopy -- by calling the "International Clinic" office on +84 28 39 525 888 ... you may end up speaking to someone who has little English, but she will take your phone number and get a nurse with high quality English to call you back).

 

The beauty of this International Clinic "booking in" service is that you are chaproned by a Vietnamese nurse who speaks English, and she takes you to all the areas of the hospital you need to go to as part of the "booking in" process for a medical procedure. (The cost for this "booking in" process, which includes seeing a gastroenterologist to be referred for a colonoscopy and endoscopy, is 500,000 VND or about 720 THB). Just remember to take your passport, and be able to pay the 7,000,000 VND (as of NOV-2023) for the colonoscopy and endoscopy during the "booking in" procedure. (They take VND cash or MasterCard/Visa).

 

Please note, if you have an urgent need to get a colonoscopy/endoscopy (such as blood in your stool) let the nurse know when you first call the International Clinic. She will then fast track you to see the gastroenterologist. Furthermore, the gastorenterologist will then fast track you to get the colonscopy done. Due to me having discovered blood in my stool, I was able to see the gastroenterologist within 1 day, and be booked in for the colonoscopy/endoscopy within 2 days of seeing the gastroenterologist.

 

... also, when you have your colonoscopy, you need to have a relative or friend come with you. This is because there is a Vietnamese custom of needing to get approval from this person to take action if there is any kind of emergency during the procedure. This requirement means it is highly preferable to have a friend or relative in Saigon who can act in this manner for you.

 

Finally, I would be hesitant to recommend using a similar service in Hanoi. It has a very different culture (the opposite of Saigon?) that, in my opinion, is lacking in the honesty and work ethic of Saigon.

 

Anyway, I know that some of the people on AseanNow need to save every dollar they can, so I hope this is a help.

 

 

 

 

Good information but it really doesn't save any money unless you are actually in Vietnam.

For example if you are in Bangkok....transport to airport..return air ticket to HCMC...taxi to Hotel...Hotel room a few nights...taxis to hospital/hospital costs for all test/procedures...food/misc costs in HCMC....taxi back to airport/taxi from SUV to your home.  probably some other misc costs also.

So it is going to cost way more than getting a taxi to your local Thai hospital and have the procedure done here. Plus there are always promotions for these type of procedures, which brings the cost down considerably.

[QuantumQuandry]

Girlfriend had an Endoscopy done at Queen Sirikit naval hospital, near Pattaya, for ~3500 baht, iirc.  Done by a gastro-intestinal specialist.

 

Only downside was that we had to go through 3 docs (GP first, then Internal Medicine and finally the G-I doc) to get it and it took months to schedule it.  Can't beat the price, though.

[LoveLanna]

6 minutes ago, couchpotato said:

Good information but it really doesn't save any money unless you are actually in Vietnam.

For example if you are in Bangkok....transport to airport..return air ticket to HCMC...taxi to Hotel...Hotel room a few nights...taxis to hospital/hospital costs for all test/procedures...food/misc costs in HCMC....taxi back to airport/taxi from SUV to your home.  probably some other misc costs also.

So it is going to cost way more than getting a taxi to your local Thai hospital and have the procedure done here. Plus there are always promotions for these type of procedures, which brings the cost down considerably.

 

You make a fair point, but 20,000+ THB in savings is quite bit. Maybe the angle is to take your missus to Vietnam (thus solving the need to have relative or friend at the hospital during the procedure), do a colonoscopy in Saigon, then use the money saved to have a "free" holiday in Vietnam ...

 

[LoveLanna]

3 minutes ago, QuantumQuandry said:

Girlfriend (not Thai) had an Endoscopy done at Queen Sirikit naval hospital, near Pattaya, for 2500 baht, iirc.  Done by a gastro-intestinal specialist.

 

Only downside was that we had to go through 3 docs (GP first, then Internal Medicine and finally the G-I doc) to get it and it took months to schedule it.  Can't beat the price, though.

 

Damn! That is a good price! The cheapest I have seen by far.

 

[QuantumQuandry]

Just now, LoveLanna said:

 

Damn! That is a good price! The cheapest I have seen by far.

 

 

Sorry, edited a typo.  Was ~3500, not 2500.

[LoveLanna]

2 minutes ago, QuantumQuandry said:

 

Sorry, edited a typo.  Was ~3500, not 2500.

 

Still a great price!

[Tropicalevo]

2 hours ago, LoveLanna said:

Anyway, I know that some of the people on AseanNow need to save every dollar they can, so I hope this is a help.

But you are not including the price of flights, hotels and Vietnamese visas.

Then there are the follow up trips and costs.

These things are not a one off.

When I had a colonoscopy, there was the pre consultation (with the anaesthetist) plus the follow up.

[couchpotato]

27 minutes ago, LoveLanna said:

 

You make a fair point, but 20,000+ THB in savings is quite bit. Maybe the angle is to take your missus to Vietnam (thus solving the need to have relative or friend at the hospital during the procedure), do a colonoscopy in Saigon, then use the money saved to have a "free" holiday in Vietnam ...

 

As I said good info, but it just doesn't make sense to go Vietnam for this procedure, after all the associated travel/living/misc costs. Also it's not Saigon any more.

[LoveLanna]

8 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

But you are not including the price of flights, hotels and Vietnamese visas.

Then there are the follow up trips and costs.

These things are not a one off.

When I had a colonoscopy, there was the pre consultation (with the anaesthetist) plus the follow up.

 

Yep, fair comment. Like I wrote in a previous reply ... "20,000+ THB in savings is quite bit. Maybe the angle is to take your missus to Vietnam (thus solving the need to have relative or friend at the hospital during the procedure), do a colonoscopy in Saigon, then use the money saved to have a "free" holiday in Vietnam ..."

[LoveLanna]

3 minutes ago, couchpotato said:

As I said good info, but it just doesn't make sense to go Vietnam for this procedure, after all the associated travel/living/misc costs. Also it's not Saigon any more.

 

"Also it's not Saigon any more." ... better to keep quiet unless you know what you are talking about. Both the names "Ho Chi Minh City" and "Saigon" are used. Even the airport code is "SGN"!!! The government bus company is called "SaigonBus". I can go on and on.

[couchpotato]

7 minutes ago, LoveLanna said:

 

"Also it's not Saigon any more." ... better to keep quiet unless you know what you are talking about. Both the names "Ho Chi Minh City" and "Saigon" are used. Even the airport code is "SGN"!!! The government bus company is called "SaigonBus". I can go on and on.

Yes but I hope you don't.

[LoveLanna]

3 minutes ago, couchpotato said:

Yes but I hope you don't.

 

... like I said, better you keep quiet

[couchpotato]

2 minutes ago, LoveLanna said:

 

... like I said, better you keep quiet

Another poster pointed out to me that you've been a member for 8 years and only 11 posts..and 8 of the 11 were tonight. Gotta to be a story here.

 

[LoveLanna]

1 minute ago, couchpotato said:

Another poster pointed out to me that you've been a member for 8 years and only 11 posts..and 8 of the 11 were tonight. Gotta to be a story here.

 

 

"Another poster" ... are you sure you're not trying to hide the research you did to find something to dish out hate about? I think so

 

 

 

[Thailand J]

57 minutes ago, QuantumQuandry said:

Girlfriend had an Endoscopy done at Queen Sirikit naval hospital, near Pattaya, for ~3500 baht, iirc.  Done by a gastro-intestinal specialist.

Is your gf Thai? The quote I got  2 months ago from Queen Sirikit was  4500B, farangs have to pay more.

[LoveLanna]

6 minutes ago, Thailand J said:

Is your gf Thai? The quote I got  2 months ago from Queen Sirikit was  4500B, farangs have to pay more.

 

No, I live in Saigon. Great stuff on getting such a good deal.

[freedomnow]

Yes, thanks for putting a spotlight on a good near neighbour option country.

There should be a combined thread for surrounding country gold standard care at fraction of Thai prices...

 

Thailand is a bit spicy pricey but not according to the yanks with their eye-watering domestic health care costs.

I'm in UK now and NHS stuff I'm getting is pretty great and fast at the level I'm interacting with and 'free' in the tax payer funded sense - of which I'm one.

[scubascuba3]

5 hours ago, LoveLanna said:

 

 

Sorry, the way I wrote it is a bit confusing. The procedure is only done by professors, not students. My point was that you can only become a professor by being one of the best-of-the-best students ... and to even be a student you have to be unbelievably intelligent due to extreme competition

 

Most people will understand what you said. Looks like a good tip to me, i like recommendations for non Thailand, occasionally we get India ones which seem worth considering.

 

Last time i looked there is 0.7% chance of perforations and complications during a colonoscopy so don't do one lightly

[Mike Lister]

5 hours ago, LoveLanna said:

 

Damn! That is a good price! The cheapest I have seen by far.

 

That's a typical price at a government hospital here, the downside is the wait which can be months..

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

That's a typical price at a government hospital here, the downside is the wait which can be months..

OR, you can pay a bit more, for off hours service (Q jumping), as I did at the govt hospital.  

 

Certainly beats the airport hassle & cost of flying out of TH, w/hotel stays of 3+ days, (from OP) IF they will even take you early.  

[QuantumQuandry]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

OR, you can pay a bit more, for off hours service (Q jumping), as I did at the govt hospital.  

 

How do you do that?  Would be good to have that option.

 

7 hours ago, Thailand J said:

Is your gf Thai? The quote I got  2 months ago from Queen Sirikit was  4500B, farangs have to pay more.

 

No but she has a long term visa.  Iirc, there are 3 tiers of pricing, there.  Thai, resident foreigner and tourist foreigner.  Also, it was a gastroscopy only, no colonoscopy.  She is Asian but I am not sure that mattered.

 

3 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

That's a typical price at a government hospital here, the downside is the wait which can be months..

 

That was one of four downsides, to us.  The other 3 were

1. Location was a 45 minute drive away.  Not a big deal, in itself, but it was exacerbated by;

2. Bureaucracy meant we had to go there 3 times before we could even schedule the endoscopy.  This was the worst part.  Better part of the day spent there for a total of 4 days to get the endoscopy.  We knew we needed an endoscopy as we had seen other docs before but we weren't allowed to just schedule an endoscopy.  We had to go through their process of GP -> Internal medicine -> GI specialist -> Endoscopy.

3. Lack of English spoken by all staff, other than the doctors (not such a big deal w Google translate, though).  Doctors spoke English well enough.

 

That said, it was like an eighth of the price of BKK-Pattaya and otherwise, everything was ok.  We met a Filipino nurse there that was super nice and the staff was patient with our google translating everything.  Can't really comment on the skill of the performing doctor too much but there were no complications (or findings) from the endoscopy.

[Mike Lister]

2 minutes ago, QuantumQuandry said:

 

How do you do that?  Would be good to have that option.

 

 

No but she has a long term visa.  Iirc, there are 3 tiers of pricing, there.  Thai, resident foreigner and tourist foreigner.  Also, it was a gastroscopy only, no colonoscopy.  She is Asian but I am not sure that mattered.

 

 

That was one of four downsides, to us.  The other 3 were

1. Location was a 45 minute drive away.  Not a big deal, in itself, but it was exacerbated by;

2. Bureaucracy meant we had to go there 3 times before we could even schedule the endoscopy.  This was the worst part.  Better part of the day spent there for a total of 4 days to get the endoscopy.  We knew we needed an endoscopy as we had seen other docs before but we weren't allowed to just schedule an endoscopy.  We had to go through their process of GP -> Internal medicine -> GI specialist -> Endoscopy.

3. Lack of English spoken by all staff, other than the doctors (not such a big deal w Google translate, though).  Doctors spoke English well enough.

 

That said, it was like an eighth of the price of BKK-Pattaya and otherwise, everything was ok.  We met a Filipino nurse there that was super nice and the staff was patient with our google translating everything.  Can't really comment on the skill of the performing doctor too much but there were no complications (or findings) from the endoscopy.

I rate your last comment as being of major concern, you have no control over the selection of doctor who performs the procedure which may be an intern.

[alex8912]

11 hours ago, couchpotato said:

As I said good info, but it just doesn't make sense to go Vietnam for this procedure, after all the associated travel/living/misc costs. Also it's not Saigon any more.

Every local I meet calls it Saigon. Been twice in the last year and previous years. Not sure about old people because I don't meet any there. 

[alex8912]

7 hours ago, freedomnow said:

Yes, thanks for putting a spotlight on a good near neighbour option country.

There should be a combined thread for surrounding country gold standard care at fraction of Thai prices...

 

Thailand is a bit spicy pricey but not according to the yanks with their eye-watering domestic health care costs.

I'm in UK now and NHS stuff I'm getting is pretty great and fast at the level I'm interacting with and 'free' in the tax payer funded sense - of which I'm one.

I don't think you can beat the quality of American health care especially if you live in certain cities like Boston. My state has about 98% insured citizens and a procedure like this is 100% covered. Hospitals are outstanding. Rich Europeans and others come and pay full price often. No lines no waiting. 

[Pappap]

The government hospital, (where I live, Krabi) End/Colon are as have been quoted 10/11000k for both, go to a clinic in the town/city that offers these, sometimes the sign outside will only say Endoscopy and usually all in Thai, but they usually offer both, the one I found was the doctor that performed the test in the government hosp, I paid a consultation fee of 1000bht and the endoscopy was done within 3 days, colon next week. I had done the same research as most here and was expecting 30/40k....... hope this applies to wherever you live.

[advancebooking]

14 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I flew back west for my Colonoscopy and herina.  I would never have some student there or in Thailand do a procedure like that.  There is a risk if they push to hard, they can tear your colon resulting in a serious surgery.  I think looking for the cheapest medical care can be a big mistake.

You sound like you have no idea about thailand. The quality of drs here is really high. Had my colonoscopy done at Bumrungrad and hernia at bangkok hospital in the provinces. They have done each respective procedure thousands of times. I asked the hernia dr how many times he has done it. He said, its the only surgery he does everyday for many yrs. A flight back home is unnecessary. 

[advancebooking]

9 hours ago, freedomnow said:

NHS stuff I'm getting is pretty great and fast

But you can get new graduate drs doing surgery supervised by their senior dr. do you get to choose?