Not so long ago, a thai doctor prescribed me strong antibiotics, because i had a virus according to him...

On 3/16/2026 at 2:17 PM, Ralf001 said:

This is very much my experience at BKK Pattaya... Not so much at Phayathai Sriracha.

Well, it’s not just the BKK Hospital, but also the ones in Hua Hin and Phuket – they charge as much as they can, that’s what that hospital is all about.

I’ll never forget having to haggle over the price for having an abscess removed at the BKK Hospital in Hua Hin – can you believe it?

And yes, I’ve had more than 25 years’ experience with that hospital, so I won’t be going there anymore.

53 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

Well, it’s not just the BKK Hospital,

Should I have said BDMS Group hospital Pattaya location instead ?

On 3/16/2026 at 4:42 AM, ronnie50 said:

By and large medical care at Thailand's private hospitals is pretty good.

But one thing I've observed through the years of visiting doctors in big private hospitals here is that many/most are not very thorough in asking questions about the patient's medical history. They are often quick to arrive at a current diagnosis, write a prescription, and a return appointment again in 2 weeks.

When I say 'not very thorough' - I mean they don't ask you (enough) about your medical past or any other medical issues you may have - which they should do at the beginning of the appointment - this is standard operating procedure in Western countries. Even in a Thai hospital you regularly go to - which has most of your records including the drugs you take - this is often the case. For example, they are quick to write a prescription without checking to see what other meds you are already taking. That can have very bad outcomes if the medicine is contraindicated with something else you are already taking.

Now I insist to know what the doctor is prescribing before I agree to buy it. I check for contraindications sitting in the chair across from him/her.

Still, one doctor at one of the biggest private hospitals outright refused to divulge what she was prescribing. So I paid for it, got home, and realized it was a med for vertigo. First, I don't have vertigo, second, upon a Web search, I found that the drug was struck off the US FDA some years back because it couldn't prove its claim to efficacy.

At another private hospital, I was prescribed a very strong oral antibiotic for an ear infection that is ototoxic (harmful to your ears), and can have very serious side effects (achilles tendon rupture and pulsatile tinnitus). The drug was prescribed by an ENT specialist no less. Another Thai ENT specialist (years ago) gave me a standard audiology test (hearing test), then prescribed two meds. When I got home and looked them up, one was for alzheimers, the other was a 'pep pill' students take before exams. Neither drug has anything to do with mild hearing loss. Of course, I never returned to any of these three.

In conclusion, I now do my own research before seeing the specialist (if I can), and check verified Web sites on drug interactions before leaving the doctor's office. The hospital might appear all new and shiny with lots of up-to-date equipment. But as with doctors anywhere in the world, it boils down to the knowledge and inquisitiveness of the doctor who is dealling with the patient before him/her.

Well, it seems to me you rely more on ChatGPT and other AI sources than to advices and diagnoses of licensed qualified Doctors. Good luck😑

My friend was visiting me from the UK, and trapped his finger in the gate. It was quite nasty, and his GF took him to the local private hospital. When they discovered he had travel insurance, they went to town on him. He had every treatment under the sun, including an overnight stay, which he refused. His bill was 13,000 baht, and they told him to return every day and have the dressing changed for 800 baht each time. I insisted she take him to the local clinic for a dressing change, and they charged him 100 baht.

I went to see a local ENT doctor as I had an ear infection. He confirmed the infection and prescribed me 5 different antibiotics. I went home and researched which one was most effective for ear infections, and just took that one. The infection cleared in a few days

2 minutes ago, Jaggg88 said:

My friend was visiting me from the UK, and trapped his finger in the gate. It was quite nasty, and his GF took him to the local private hospital. When they discovered he had travel insurance, they went to town on him. He had every treatment under the sun, including an overnight stay, which he refused. His bill was 13,000 baht, and they told him to return every day and have the dressing changed for 800 baht each time. I insisted she take him to the local clinic for a dressing change, and they charged him 100 baht.

I went to see a local ENT doctor as I had an ear infection. He confirmed the infection and prescribed me 5 different antibiotics. I went home and researched which one was most effective for ear infections, and just took that one. The infection cleared in a few days

13k is decent considering he got every treatment under the sun.

1 hour ago, newbee2022 said:

Well, it seems to me you rely more on ChatGPT and other AI sources than to advices and diagnoses of licensed qualified Doctors. Good luck😑

Now where - oh where - did I say that? I don't think you read my post.

What I said was that I do research on the condition/symptoms, to be more specific (just for you) I check medical sources and research like StatPearls, Harvard, Cleveland Clinic, NHS, NIH, then I do local research by going to hospital Websites, many of the private ones here that indicate the doctor's specialization and where s/he did a fellowship or interning abroad, sometimes I ask others like @Sheryl. But my main point is we need to (usually, not always) push the doctor so s/he asks about our medical history, then show a list of any meds we are taking, and ask the doctor to check and ensure there are no contraindications with the new med being pushed at you. If they won't do that, I won't buy the med until I've checked it out myself on a specialist medical website.