I am about to get my injections for my first trip to Thailand and which ones I need seems to depend to some extent on how far I am away from a hospital and how good it is. I will be spending some time in my girlfriend's village near Sarakham and I wonder if anyone has experience of the local hospital there or in places nearby .

Which injections?

Which injections?

Agree ! What injections ? An up to date tetanus protection should be enough to worry about.

If you are healthy otherwise it would be a waste of money to take extra injections.

Maha Sarakam is quite healthy all around the year. When you come in February the weather will be very nice. No rain ! No humidity. Maybe in Bangkok but not up here.

Which injections?

Agree ! What injections ? An up to date tetanus protection should be enough to worry about.

If you are healthy otherwise it would be a waste of money to take extra injections.

Maha Sarakam is quite healthy all around the year. When you come in February the weather will be very nice. No rain ! No humidity. Maybe in Bangkok but not up here.

Some things are already dealt with or just need boosters: Tetanus, TB and Hepatitis B for instance. Japanese encephalitis shouldn't be a problem in February so the main one is Rabies. I have heard several dogs during phone calls although my girlfriend seems to think that there isn't much of a problem. The only trouble is that sometimes her english, although quite good leaves me unsure if she understands exactly what I'm saying. I've read a lot on this forum about rabies and the views seem mixed but as far as I can see the level of rabies has dropped due to measures that have been taken.

I suppose the main thing is that I need to be sure that if the worst happens and I do catch something, there is a hospital available and that I have done all I can to protect myself so my travel insurance company can't say it's my own fault. Just call me cynical.

I'm fairly healthy for my age (54) the only problems I do have are not related to infection risk.

I assume that the medication I take for high blood pressure and high cholesterol which is prescribed by my doctor shouldn't cause problems entering the country.

In answer to your original question, the hospitals in the city are:

(a) Maha Sarakham Provincial hospital, near where the Borabue Road crosses the canal in the city centre. My rating: (which is just an opinion) middle-ranking Isaan hospital which has improved a bit following the creation of the MSU Medical School but still lags a long way behind Khon Kaen's Srinakarin University Hospital.

(b ) Suun Ruam Peet private hospital (near municipal depot behind Serm Thai department store). My rating: most doctors work part-time and hold posts in the provincial hospital. Some patient rooms are good and can usually be had at a good discount from the listed prices, but the medical facilities are very limited. Okay for routine things such as maternity care but don't go there with a life-threatening condition.

Sarakham residents who have a serious problem and can travel the 60 km or so to Khon Kaen should go to Srinakarin. It is the best in Isaan.