How do you make a Doctors appointment in Bangkok ?

[DonniePeverley]

In the UK, the system is you register with a local doctor and he/she see's to your medical needs and (other than an emergency) make appointments with you to see a specialist in a hospital. They prefer you as a first port of call not to go to a hospital in the UK as it clogs up the already stretched system. 

 

How does the system in Thailand work? If for example i have a cough or a persistent headache what is the route you take?

 

Do you have local doctors? Or is everything geared around just going to a hospital ?

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

The easiest way is to go directly to a hospital.

Tell the reception ladies what hurts, and they will tell you to which counter you should go to see a doctor.

Bring your passport to be able to register.

And be aware that this costs money. Some hospitals are very expensive, and their primary goal is to make as much money as possible. If they can give you 10 tests and can charge you 50k for that then they will (try to) do that.

So, ask what is necessary and think twice to which hospital you go.

 

Edited May 28 by OneMoreFarang

[DonniePeverley]

3 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The easiest way is to go directly to a hospital.

Tell the reception ladies what hurts, and they will tell you to which counter you should go to see a doctor.

Bring your passport to be able to register.

And be aware that this costs money. Some hospitals are very expensive, and their primary goal is to make as much money as possible. If they can give you 10 tests and can charge you 50k for that then they will (try to) do that.

So, ask what is necessary and think twice to which hospital you go.

 

 

 

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. 

 

Is it a case you just turn up at the hospital, and say i have a headache?

 

How does one gage which hospital will really go to town on me on costs, compared to what will take it nice and relaxed? Obviously i am aware of the one or two top hospitals. 

[Tropicalevo]

Contact Sheryl on this forum for a hospital recommendation.

She gives the best, most professional, unbiased advice.

[KhunLA]

No different then anywhere, I suspect.  Simply find a doc that you like.  I have a favorite at Bangkok, and one locally.   Bangkok, not sure if he has private clinic hours, but has been available at the private hospital he works.  Wife simply verifies he's on duty before I go there.

 

Locally, doc has a clinic, in the evening, at the local hospital, which is great, as avoids the longer Qs, since govt hosp.  

[OneMoreFarang]

9 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

 

 

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. 

 

Is it a case you just turn up at the hospital, and say i have a headache?

 

How does one gage which hospital will really go to town on me on costs, compared to what will take it nice and relaxed? Obviously i am aware of the one or two top hospitals. 

 

Yes, that's what you do.

 

About the prices, it seems many hospitals are getting more luxurious all the time. I used to go to BNH when it was relatively simple. The last time I looked, it was more like a 5-star hotel lobby.

 

I can recommend this one, a little out of town:

https://www.vibhavadi.com/

The prices are reasonable, and they have some good doctors.

 

In general, many doctors who work in hospitals, including the big and expensive hospitals, also have their own clinics. Their prices in their own clinics are a lot cheaper than in the hospital. When you look at the schedule in the hospitals you will see that many doctors only work there for a few days a week. That's why.

 

For future appointments, be aware that often you can't expect a certain time, even if that is on your paper for the appointment. Maybe you have an appointment at 9am. Maybe 10 other people will also have an appointment with the same doctor on the same day at 9am. And then they are treated in the order they arrive. I don't think this is the same in every hospital, ask. 

 

[Sheryl]

In both the private and public systems, you can go direct to a specialist. (For foreigners, that is. Since, unless they are under Thai Social Security  they have to pay full price in public system.  Thais covered under the government "universal" system can go direct to some specialists but will be need a referral from a more general doctor for others in order to be covered .)

 

GP care is weak in Thailand.  There are virtually none who function the way UK GPs do, and (unfortunately) few that are very good.   If you indicate where you are located, I can advise on this more specific to your location. 

 

In general Thai medical care is very specialized. It is also, definitely, hospital based and most outpatient services are provided in hospital outpatient clinics.better on that.  With the notable exceptions of Chiang Mai and (to a lesser extent) Pattaya, stand-alone clinics are rare and best avoided except for things like simple medical certificate.

 

Appointments can be made at private hospitals online and by phone. You can also just show up but, except in emergency situations,  this is inadvisable - you will be directed to whatever doctor is least busy, and that is not a good sign; you may also be directed to the wrong type of specialist. Unless economically forced to use the public channel in a government hospital  (in which case you have no choice on who you see, and most encounters will be with doctors in training) ,you should always do advance research and choose a specific doctor yourself. This can admittedly be hard in cases where you don't know what type of specialty you need. Feel free to post inqueries in this forum but be sure to specify your location when you do.

 

Online appointment can also be made at the "after hours" clinics of some of the major government university hospitals . If wanting to instead use the public channel, you have to show up in person, as early as possible (queue sometimes fills up by as early as 8 AM, though it depends on the hospital).

 

Should note that most medications requiring a doctor prescription in the UK are sold over the counter in Thailand (narcotics, tranquilizers and steroids being an exception) and pharmacists often double as a sort of GP. How well they do that varies greatly and many of the people behind pharmacy counters are not actually trained pharmacist.  On the other hand, "real" fully qualified pharmacists can be quite good. For pharmacy recommendations, please check or post in  this forum, again being sure to specify your location.

 

There is therefore no need to see a doctor for a simple headache and the like unless you are concerned there is something more serious going on (in which case for headache you'd see a neurologist).

 

Another important difference between health care here and under the UK NHS is that it is much, much, much less standardized.  The UK NHS is a type of "managed care" system with very detailed, cookbook-typed steps and protocols for just about everything. The result is that any 2 doctors, if even basically competent, will treat a problem pretty much the same way.  (Even if they think you need something else, they will often be unable or afraid to deviate in any way from  protocol). Not at all the case in Thailand, making the choice of specific doctor particularly important. Even in the public channel of government hospitals, there is considerable variability in what different doctors will do at the same hospital, and  there is complete  latitude in the private hospitals for a doctor to use their own personal judgement. A big mistake foreigners  often make is to think that the care they got from one doctor at a hospital is what that hospital, as an institution, does and that any other doctor there will do  the same. Not at all true. Treatment will vary considerable by doctor. So may cost as, in private hospitals, doctors set their own fees.