Hospital In Bangkok...?

[okey kokey]

Ive Been receiving treatment for a stomach problem ( reflux acid ) at a hospital in Sattahip,

and The Doctor has recommended I go to the .. Ramathibodi Hospital... in Bangkok,

where they have a better range of testing equipment , Does any one have experience / comments about this Bangkok Hospital...? My treatment at the Sattahip Hospital has been very good .

Thanks .....

[Sheryl]

It's one of the tertiary level care government hospitals in Thailand. Quality should be good but many inconveniences including long waits, no English speaking, lots of beaurocratic procedures (signs explaining which are only in Thai) and hurdles vefore you meet the specialist...you can't go direct to one.

As it sounds unlikely that you would need inpatient care I suggest you go to one of the better private hospitakls instead. The necessary equipment and specialists ought to be available at Bumrungrad, Samitivej, Bangkok General, or Bangkok Nursing Home. There are websites for the first 3 which include a search engine to find a doctor. Look for someone who is board-certified in gastroenterology and has had some training abroad.

These 4 mentioned hospitals all have their relative pluses and minuses so I would go by the doctor, i.e. choose the one that has the best qualified sounded doc available at times convenient for you.

Ive Been receiving treatment for a stomach problem ( reflux acid ) at a hospital in Sattahip,

and The Doctor has recommended I go to the .. Ramathibodi Hospital... in Bangkok,

where they have a better range of testing equipment , Does any one have experience / comments about this Bangkok  Hospital...? My treatment at the Sattahip Hospital has been very good .

                                    Thanks .....

[okey kokey]

Hi Sheryl.

Thanks for thr Info, I had at first been in touch via e.mail with the Bumrungrad Hospital to ask for a price for the required tests, and was quoted ..24,000 Baht , and I told my Doctor the name of the.... Specialist ... to which my Doctor said he recommended I go to the Ramathibodi Hospital for the same tests and it would be carried out by the SAME specialist as he works at both the hospitals ,but would be a lot less cost

So from what you say it may be worth paying the 24,000 Baht and getting first class treatment , I don't know how much the same tests would cost at the Ramathibodi Hospital , but it may be if I use this hospital I may need a refrerence from my Doctor..?

Thanks ...

[Digger]

Hi Sheryl.

Thanks for thr Info,  I had at first been in touch  via e.mail with the Bumrungrad Hospital to ask for a price for the required tests, and was quoted ..24,000 Baht ,  and I  told my Doctor the name of the.... Specialist ...  to which my Doctor said he recommended I go to the Ramathibodi Hospital for the same tests and it would be carried out by the  SAME specialist as he works at both the hospitals ,but would be a lot less  cost

So from what you say it may be worth paying the 24,000 Baht and getting first class treatment , I don't know how much the same tests would cost at the Ramathibodi Hospital , but it may be if I use this hospital I may need a refrerence from my Doctor..?

                Thanks ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The doctor consultation at Bumrungrad is now 700 baht a time. Therefore it sounds like the tests are the expensive element. Bumrungrad is NOT that much more than other hospitals that have the same level of equipment. Typically about 10-20% more. Incidentally Bumrungrad is considerably cheaper than BKK Pattaya and Pattaya International Hospital for almost everything due to the high level of competition from the western orientated hospitals in BKK such as BNH, Bangkok Hospital etc. Blood tests for example are cheaper at Bumrungrad than at mediocre private hospitals in Pattaya as are in patient services such as room costs, nursing care etc. Do not assume that Bumrungrad is the most expensive for everything - its not, but then again its not as cheap of course as government hospitals.

[Sheryl]

It will definitely cost less at Ramatabodhi but take a whole lot longer and involve more hassles. In addition to the time required to get registered, screened first by teh general practioner etc, there may be a waiting period for the diagnostic tests. However in terms of quality of medical careit'll probably end up the same. So it's really a question of your personal circumstances and which is more important, cost vs time and convenience. if you decide to go to Ramatibodi and don't speak fluent Thai, be sure to bring a Thai person along to help with translation. Also bring a referral from your doctor in Sattahip (you should get his records to bring with you regardless of which hospital you choose). Also bring any test results he did so as to avoid unnecessary repeat blood tests and the like.

A less expensive private hospital is Phyathai 2, near Victory Monument. it is quite good but smaller than the ones I mentioned so may or may not offer the diagnstic procedures needed. If you know the names of the tests you could inquire.

If you go to Bumrungrad avoid getting drug prescriptions filled there, the mark-up is huge and unless it is a very rare thing you can easily get what you need at a pharmacy outside, there's a good large on on the south side of Sukhumvit near the expressway bridge, walking distance from Bumrungrad. Good luck.

Hi Sheryl.

Thanks for thr Info,  I had at first been in touch  via e.mail with the Bumrungrad Hospital to ask for a price for the required tests, and was quoted ..24,000 Baht ,  and I  told my Doctor the name of the.... Specialist ...  to which my Doctor said he recommended I go to the Ramathibodi Hospital for the same tests and it would be carried out by the  SAME specialist as he works at both the hospitals ,but would be a lot less  cost

So from what you say it may be worth paying the 24,000 Baht and getting first class treatment , I don't know how much the same tests would cost at the Ramathibodi Hospital , but it may be if I use this hospital I may need a refrerence from my Doctor..?

                Thanks ...

[Digger]

If you go to Bumrungrad avoid getting drug prescriptions filled there, the mark-up is huge and unless it is a very rare thing you can easily get what you need at a pharmacy outside, there's a good large on on the south side of Sukhumvit near the expressway bridge, walking distance from Bumrungrad. Good luck.

Hi Sheryl.

All hospitals charge more than pharmacies for medicines but you need to consider the following:

1. Convenience

2. Quality of the medicine (generic or original manufacturer)

3. Follow up if anything goes wrong

Bumrungrad does not massively mark up generic or original drugs. For example a pharmacy sells a tablet at 6 baht, the same tablet from Bumrungrad is 10 Baht (an actual example), however if the hospital doctor prescribes original products, there is normally a reason for it. For example, the HIV medicine that I pay for a friend of mine, is available as a generic medicine in Thailand however the lab that produces it has failed in its ISO accreditation. Therefore the doctor recomended the REAL product, however was happy to suggest using a generic medicine for another part of her HIV treatment. The doctor felt the risk was too high to take and that the problem of buying generic medicines in pharmacies is that you cannot be SURE they contain any active ingrediant.

This doctor had no axe to grind, she is not paid more whether you take the medicine from the hospital or not but it was her opinion and for this patient, as her ongoing care advisor for the rest of her life, she wants her to get the MOST appropriatte medicine. For me the difference in cost was about 2,000 baht a month which I can afford so I said no problem, we go with the Glaxo medicine. Of course as you would expect the medicine is correctly boxed, instructions in multiple languages etc - no room for any confusion. Last thing you want is your doctor saying well, the reason the treatment failed is because you did not buy the medicine from the hospital and therefore they cannot be sure exactly what you have been taking.

Obviously not talking about generic pain killers such as panadol here but real medicines.