Finding the best specialist doctor - not always at the most expensive joints

[ronnie50]

This is just a quick post to point out to those unaware, that many of Thailand's top medical specialists practice at more than one hospital. So if you need a good doctor for a specialty you will find someone here who can give you a name(s). But just because Dr. X practices at Bumrungrad or Bangkok Hospital or BNH doesn't necessarily mean you need to go there (and pay a lot). With a little searching online you may well find the same doctor works at a government hospital or one of the lesser-known private or quasi-private hospitals (e.g. much less expensive but same treatment). This is not always the case, but it often is.  Searching the name in Thai language can also be useful in finding where else s/he works.

[scubascuba3]

Yes i found that at Pattaya Intl and Queen Sirikit

[ronnie50]

Just to add, the Dr might be a bit uncomfortable with you moving mid-treatment from the expensive place he works to the government or quasi-private hospital that he also works at (he might get into trouble with the private hospital where you were first seen).  My use of the term 'quasi-private' is a bit vague I admit. What I mean by 'quasi-private' is some hospitals that aren't the big names you have heard (like in the OP), but have some of the same doctors/specialists working there that also work at the big foreign name joints. Examples would be Siriraj Hospital, Chulalongkorn Hospital, Mahidol/Ramathibodi, Vichaiyut - all top-notch. One of the big government trauma centres, busy with 24 hour emergency wards, is Rajiwithi Hospital (Victory Monument) and nearby Phra Mongkut Klao Hospital (opposite side of the road). Other 'specialty' Thai hospitals in central Bangkok near Victory Monument include Queen Sirikit National Insittute of Child Health (QSNICH), and Hospital for Tropical Diseases. These big government hospitals are of course very busy places and you will be sure to join a (possibly long) waiting queue - so go early in the day if needed/possible. But the prices should be much lower. I don't know if they charge foreigners more, maybe. Also, I don't have info on many other places like Pattaya. In Khon Kaen, the Khon Kaen Hospital is well-respected. Many of these aforementioned places are also teaching/university affiliated hospitals. You could also try the police or military hospitals. For cheaper dental work, I've been told Mahidol is a good choice - again a teaching facility, but with an ajarn (professor) overseeing things. I hope this is useful, especially for those who don't have insurance or need urgent or critical care and can't afford a private hospital. While the doctors and pharmacist in these hospitals can speak English to varrying degrees, the other staff like nurses are much more limited that way.  Bring your phone to translate. Good luck.