Chiang Mai Ram Hospital, Taking The Piss!

[Ulysses G.]

Here is my story:

I showed Dr. Taratorn a lesion on my penis, and told him that I was recently exposed sexually to a person who I believed to be infected with syphilis.

I told him, being over 75 years of age, that I was unable to do anything with my penis to cause an abrasion wound.

Don't these two things contradict each other?

[ThaiPauly]

Here is my story:

I showed Dr. Taratorn a lesion on my penis, and told him that I was recently exposed sexually to a person who I believed to be infected with syphilis.

I told him, being over 75 years of age, that I was unable to do anything with my penis to cause an abrasion wound.

Don't these two things contradict each other?

Maybe he meant he could not hammer nails with it anymore UG

Other than that , it realy does show gross incompetance on Ram's behalf

[chirunr]

Here is my story:

I showed Dr. Taratorn a lesion on my penis, and told him that I was recently exposed sexually to a person who I believed to be infected with syphilis.

I told him, being over 75 years of age, that I was unable to do anything with my penis to cause an abrasion wound.

Don't these two things contradict each other?

No, no contradiction at all.

FYI, you can contract syphilis by merely touching the lesion or rash of an infected person with your cock. But to get an abrasion wound, you have to use it with such vigor that you abrade the skin. Maybe if I were 18 again . . . but, alas, it is not to be .

[chirunr]

Here is my story:

I showed Dr. Taratorn a lesion on my penis, and told him that I was recently exposed sexually to a person who I believed to be infected with syphilis.

I told him, being over 75 years of age, that I was unable to do anything with my penis to cause an abrasion wound.

Don't these two things contradict each other?

Maybe he meant he could not hammer nails with it anymore UG

Other than that , it realy does show gross incompetance on Ram's behalf

Or . . . use it as a screwdriver .

[eek]

Wow..very serious things being written against Ram. We all have documented evidence too (i presume). Should we do something about this? If so, then what? Or, as others have suggested, is this the kind of thing that can happen anywhere? (Although, to be honest, it seems to me that Ram are consistently making some quite serious errors in judgement)

[Loaded]

My experiences were OK until recently.

My daughter was off colour and the wife was very concerned. I wasn't as our daughter had only gone off her milk for a few hours during the day and had cried just a little more than normal. They were her only symptoms.

We visited pediatrics and met a female Dr named Oberdorfer. She diagnosed possible bacteria in the blood and we would have to admit our daughter immediately, have a white-cell blood test, a culture test where their lab would report back every day with the results, put her on an IV drip and a course of antibiotics. The nurse kindly presented us the menu to select the type of room we would like. At this point the wife is panicking but I thought: hang on a moment.

I asked: How did you come to this diagnosis?

Response: Many babies have this and it's best to be safe.

I said: She doesn't have any symptoms nor does she have a temperature. I came here to ease the anxiety of my wife only.

I asked: How long will it take to get the results of the white-cell blood test?

Response: 40 minutes.

I said: Ok, let's do that and we'll see what the results are.

Response: No, you must admit now.

I said: No, we'll wait 40 minutes.

Response: please feel free to have a 2nd or 3rd opinion.

I asked: Do we really need to admit her and is the IV and antibiotics necessary.

Response: Yes, recently some parents refused my diagnosis in a similar case and now their daughter is blind - WHAT!!!!!!!

It was around 9pm so we had to go to the emergency area for the blood test. The doctor told us she was going off duty but instead of walking to the lifts for the car park or exiting the hospital through the front doors (they were still open) she went straight to the emergency room.

We received the result. We asked the new doctor about the test and she said a result of 50K means there's an infection, 15-50K means there's a chance of an infection. We asked what the result is. She said 12K. We breathed a sigh of relief and asked the doctor for her opinion (2nd) but she surprised us and repeated what the first doctor said - surprise! By this stage even my panicking wife was no longer worried so we said no thanks bill please. My wife paid by credit card. When I got home I saw they had charged 1,500 baht for the first doctor's consultation. Before this we had never paid more than 300 baht.

This was my daughter they were playing with in their attempt to extort money. There was nothing wrong with our daughter but those pigs could only think of their commissions.

I'm very angry at these immoral and greedy people.

[eek]

Even though I doubted the accuracy of the diagnosis of Dr. Taratorn, I applied the ointment for 2 days. The lesion did not improve. I returned to Chiangmai Ram Hospital on 13 December 2006, asking to see a different physician -- one experienced in diseases of the skin. I was referred to Dr. Sathorn Chiewpanich, who I told of my exposure to a suspected infected person . He looked at the lesion, told me that he thought the diagnosis of Dr. Taratorn was correct: that it was merely an "abrasion wound". He told me to continue using the ointment, and to take one 500 mg tablet of Ciprofloxicin to speed up the healing of the wound. Dr. Taratorn asked me to return to see him on 21 December 2006.

Sorry to jump back on the rant bandwagon, but that reminds me of something else. When I attended Ram for my thryoid problems, i told the staff my problem and let them sort out which Doctor I should see, as, I had no idea what department/specialist i should talk to. The Doctor they sent me to see, was not an endocrinologist, and, he didnt refer me to one either. Just decided I needed to have a whopping dose of medicine (which i found out later was incorrect. He overmedicated me based on my test results). I even got to see a different doc at Ram, but again same problem, and he kept changing my meds as the months went by, which also extremely exasperated my problem as well as putting a hole in my pocket. It was only after writing into ThaiVisa and having Sheryl give some much needed advice and recommendations that I was able to source a good endro and then get advice about where to go in Chiang Mai.

Im wondering if its common that the Doctors who we are sometimes being sent to, who are not specialists in our conditions, are diagnosing a condition rather than referring. Or does this sort of thing happen everywhere too?

Response: Yes, recently some parents refused my diagnosis in a similar case and now their daughter is blind - WHAT!!!!!!!

!!

[chiangmaioldhand]

Here is my story:

On 10 December 2006, I went to Chiangmai Ram Hospital, telling the receptionist that I wished to see a medical doctor because I had symptoms of syphilis. She referred me to the Department of Medicine clinic, where I was directed to see Dr. Taratorn Thamprasit. I showed Dr. Taratorn a lesion on my penis, and told him that I was recently exposed sexually to a person who I believed to be infected with syphilis. Dr. Taratorn asked me if the lesion was painful when I urinated; I said that it was not. Then he sent me for an Anti-HIV and VDRL test, the results of which were negative. Dr. Taratorn assured me, based upon the painless nature of the lesion and the negative test results, that I was not infected with syphilis. He identified the lesion as an "abrasion wound", and prescribed a topical antibiotic ointment. I told him, being over 75 years of age, that I was unable to do anything with my penis to cause an abrasion wound. But he was adamant, told me just to put on the ointment, and sent me away.

After leaving the hospital, I did a little research on the NIH and WHO websites, and learned that syphilis lesions are rarely painful; that neither the anti-HIV or the VDRL test is useful for detection of early primary syphilis; that a test of the exudate from the lesion is the only definitive test; and that a patient with symptoms of syphilis should be presumed to be infected and should be treated accordingly.

Even though I doubted the accuracy of the diagnosis of Dr. Taratorn, I applied the ointment for 2 days. The lesion did not improve. I returned to Chiangmai Ram Hospital on 13 December 2006, asking to see a different physician -- one experienced in diseases of the skin. I was referred to Dr. Sathorn Chiewpanich, who I told of my exposure to a suspected infected person . He looked at the lesion, told me that he thought the diagnosis of Dr. Taratorn was correct: that it was merely an "abrasion wound". He told me to continue using the ointment, and to take one 500 mg tablet of Ciprofloxicin to speed up the healing of the wound. Dr. Taratorn asked me to return to see him on 21 December 2006.

I returned to Dr. Taratorn on 21 December 2006, this time bringing a letter from Suan Dock Hospital stating that the person to whom I was exposed was, in fact, infected with syphilis . The lesion was still there. Dr. Taratorn agreed that perhaps I was infected with syphilis; but he said that Chiangmai Ram Hospital did not keep in stock Benzathine Penicillin G, the medicine of choice of both NIH and WHO for treatment of primary syphilis. He suggested that I go to see yet another physician at Chiang Mai Ram.

After having already been sent twice out into the streets by physicians at Chiang Mai Ram, while infected with a deadly and highly transmissible disease, I decided that I had better go elsewhere for treatment. So I declined Dr Taratorn's suggestion for a further run-around at Chiang Mai Ram.

Thereupon, I went directly to Suan Dock (Mararaj) Hospital, where the physician to whom I was referred instantly recognized the lesion on my penis as the symptom of primary syphilis. He immediately ordered treatment with an injection of Benzathine Penicillin G, which of course, cured the infection within a few days.

Subsequently, I wrote a letter to the Managing Director (Dr. Varaphan Unachak), the General Director (Dr. Kitti Radilokpanich), and the Medical Director (Dr. Thawatchai Tansathit) of Chiang Mai Ram, advising them that I believed that the diagnosis and treatment that I received at the Hospital was grossly incompetent, and that it utterly failed to live up to their claims of excellence: "state-of-the-art facilities", "attentive care", "well-trained specialists", "safe professional service", "world-class quality", "promoting their duties ethically and professionally", and the various other boasts of this hospital.

Further, I complained to them that I considered it inexcusable that two of their physicians completely mis-diagnosed a dangerous infectious disease, and then to be unable to treat the disease because a common anti-bacterial agent is not regularly stocked by the Hospital; and for sending a sick and infectuous patient away with assurances that he is well.

The only response to my complaint was a letter from Dr. Varaphan Unachak, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital, in which defended the diagnoses of his physicians. He concluded "We apologise for your inconvenience in this matter."

I note that the two physicians who treated me are still on the staff of the hospital, still dispensing their versions of "World-Class Quality".

I will leave it up to you to decide if this was a case of gross medical malpractice, or not.

It is irresponsible for someone over 75 years old to be having sex in the first place and not to be using a condom in the second.

No fool like an old fool, eh!

[gpdjohn]

I can only hope that mine still works at that age.. hammerin nails or just being able to pee through it.

[gatorhead333]

Talking of scams, a friend of mine was knocked off his motorbike on the super highway near the Lanna hospital and a kind witness took him to A&E there. After looking at the x-ray of his broken collar bone, the doctor told him that he would need to insert a pin to fix the break at a cost of 20,000 baht. My friend told the doctor there was no way he could afford it as he didn't have medical insurance, so the doctor took another look at the x-ray. He then told him that he could just put his arm in a sling and left with a bill for a few hundred baht!

There's a big difference between a "scam" and poor communication. Many simple collarbone fractures will heal by themselves. Severe breaks must have surgery. Anything in between that is often left to the patient. After surgery and pins, you can usually be back to normal activity within a week. letting it heal on its own means using a sling for 6+ weeks. So your friend saved ~19,500 baht but was inconvenienced by delaying the recovery period by over a month. That should have been explained better.

The miscommunication could have been between your friend and the doctor, your friend and you, or you and TV. But I don't see a scam involved.

[gatorhead333]

there was no miscommunication at all.. we are in thailand... money is tight with 99% of thai people..the doctors know this... now when a farang comes in they offer the best service they know but when cheap farang cries no money then of course go to plan B ..

kinda like limo to airport or the bus....

the doctor once farang cried no cash went cheap same villager would get at village hospital ....thai style.

but you do have a chance he was trying to make money too.would have to get / read xray...

thailand remember once you cry no cash..... thai's are very polite, understanding people when the big No Cash sign flashes

that will not confront you ...all the communication was communicated ... NO CASH ..

doc did best he could for the man with plan B

[ilgitano]

we used to take the kids to Ram for flu, cold fever etc etc. Antibiotics were refused at times. no matter what sort of attitude the lady at the counter shows. i tell them straight at their face that i rather buy the antibiotics at less than half the price somewhere else.

ANTIBIOTICS FOR FLU ????????

If one day Doctor give you antibiotics for FLU, go away and change doctor.... !!!

I went to RAM 1 for PIG FLU and of course only one medecine works for flu : Tamiflu...

Flu comes from virus, antibiotics is for microbes !!!!!!

Usually the virus is not so hard on you ... But the virus opens the door to a whole bunch of secondary BACTERIAL infections, which cause a lot more suffering and drag things out. Hence a general antibiotic is often useful.

If I get any kind of virus arround here, I know the secondaries are going to follow and make it worse. I'll often take something like doxycycline as a preventive measure in that case. It works too.

Every time I have some kind of flu, I get a cough that often drags on for weeks after. The cough is I believe is a secondary bacterial infection, and the doxy usually takes care of it pretty efficiently.

[PeaceBlondie]

I see an obvious solution: Find a better first clas hospital in Chiang Mai, at less than half the price. Such as Sripat.

[Loaded]

I see an obvious solution: Find a better first clas hospital in Chiang Mai, at less than half the price. Such as Sripat.

You are correct and I will try to convince the missus. A big problem though is lack of car parking at Sripat.

[PeaceBlondie]

We park about 60 meters towards Doi Suthep, free, shaded. A ten baht tip might get you some guard's attention (for the Bentley ). Enter the side soi from the 4-way traffic light; They have nice free vans to the entrance of Sripat.

Check what pediatric clinic is like at Sripat; surely Maharaj General is like a zoo.

[Pai2009]

I have had occasion to use the services of Chiang Mai Ram a couple of times over the years and have nothing but praise for the hospital & quality of their services. Yes, no doubt there is much cheaper medical care about the place, but personally, I'm not looking for cheap medical care, but quality & professional medical care & Chiang Mai Ram has provided both.

On the subject of their charges for medication, I once queried the higher than normal cost for some antibiotics & found that what I was being prescribed with was a quality imported European (specialist) product & not the locally produced equivalent. You'll find the same at any local pharmacy too - buy the 'original' branded & imported medication and you'll pay several times the price of the generic locally manufactured equivalent.

From my experience, They also use a so called local made, actually chinese made, and charge double the original price!

That's too bad.

[kloudcat]

Avoid that "Dr" Taratorn. He couldn't not even diagnose a flu. I had diagnosed myself with a flu or other viral infection, but needed a confirmation from a Dr as I had an intercontinental flight planned for the coming days. All he looked at was lab results, not my symptoms. He sent me away without answering my questions and with a whole list of unnecessary medications --which I refused to buy. He was rude and uncooperative. Next day visited a Dr at Special Clinic at Suan Dok and he diagnosed me immediately with flu.

At another time the same Mr Taratorn gave me the wrong medication. It made me really sick. Two days later another dr got me off it.

I have him blacklisted in my file, never want to have anything to do with that incompetent, money grabbing, rude man. There more like him there. That place seems to attract that kind of drs.

There a few good drs and certainly nurses at the Ram. But there are too many uncaring, money grabbing drs there. They should have become a lawyer or something. The Suan Dok special clinic and even the ICU are excellent --and cost far less. And despite very friendly.

Here is my story:

On 10 December 2006, I went to Chiangmai Ram Hospital, telling the receptionist that I wished to see a medical doctor because I had symptoms of syphilis. She referred me to the Department of Medicine clinic, where I was directed to see Dr. Taratorn Thamprasit. I showed Dr. Taratorn a lesion on my penis, and told him that I was recently exposed sexually to a person who I believed to be infected with syphilis. Dr. Taratorn asked me if the lesion was painful when I urinated; I said that it was not. Then he sent me for an Anti-HIV and VDRL test, the results of which were negative. Dr. Taratorn assured me, based upon the painless nature of the lesion and the negative test results, that I was not infected with syphilis. He identified the lesion as an "abrasion wound", and prescribed a topical antibiotic ointment. I told him, being over 75 years of age, that I was unable to do anything with my penis to cause an abrasion wound. But he was adamant, told me just to put on the ointment, and sent me away.

After leaving the hospital, I did a little research on the NIH and WHO websites, and learned that syphilis lesions are rarely painful; that neither the anti-HIV or the VDRL test is useful for detection of early primary syphilis; that a test of the exudate from the lesion is the only definitive test; and that a patient with symptoms of syphilis should be presumed to be infected and should be treated accordingly.

Even though I doubted the accuracy of the diagnosis of Dr. Taratorn, I applied the ointment for 2 days. The lesion did not improve. I returned to Chiangmai Ram Hospital on 13 December 2006, asking to see a different physician -- one experienced in diseases of the skin. I was referred to Dr. Sathorn Chiewpanich, who I told of my exposure to a suspected infected person . He looked at the lesion, told me that he thought the diagnosis of Dr. Taratorn was correct: that it was merely an "abrasion wound". He told me to continue using the ointment, and to take one 500 mg tablet of Ciprofloxicin to speed up the healing of the wound. Dr. Taratorn asked me to return to see him on 21 December 2006.

I returned to Dr. Taratorn on 21 December 2006, this time bringing a letter from Suan Dock Hospital stating that the person to whom I was exposed was, in fact, infected with syphilis . The lesion was still there. Dr. Taratorn agreed that perhaps I was infected with syphilis; but he said that Chiangmai Ram Hospital did not keep in stock Benzathine Penicillin G, the medicine of choice of both NIH and WHO for treatment of primary syphilis. He suggested that I go to see yet another physician at Chiang Mai Ram.

After having already been sent twice out into the streets by physicians at Chiang Mai Ram, while infected with a deadly and highly transmissible disease, I decided that I had better go elsewhere for treatment. So I declined Dr Taratorn's suggestion for a further run-around at Chiang Mai Ram.

Thereupon, I went directly to Suan Dock (Mararaj) Hospital, where the physician to whom I was referred instantly recognized the lesion on my penis as the symptom of primary syphilis. He immediately ordered treatment with an injection of Benzathine Penicillin G, which of course, cured the infection within a few days.

Subsequently, I wrote a letter to the Managing Director (Dr. Varaphan Unachak), the General Director (Dr. Kitti Radilokpanich), and the Medical Director (Dr. Thawatchai Tansathit) of Chiang Mai Ram, advising them that I believed that the diagnosis and treatment that I received at the Hospital was grossly incompetent, and that it utterly failed to live up to their claims of excellence: "state-of-the-art facilities", "attentive care", "well-trained specialists", "safe professional service", "world-class quality", "promoting their duties ethically and professionally", and the various other boasts of this hospital.

Further, I complained to them that I considered it inexcusable that two of their physicians completely mis-diagnosed a dangerous infectious disease, and then to be unable to treat the disease because a common anti-bacterial agent is not regularly stocked by the Hospital; and for sending a sick and infectuous patient away with assurances that he is well.

The only response to my complaint was a letter from Dr. Varaphan Unachak, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital, in which defended the diagnoses of his physicians. He concluded "We apologise for your inconvenience in this matter."

I note that the two physicians who treated me are still on the staff of the hospital, still dispensing their versions of "World-Class Quality".

I will leave it up to you to decide if this was a case of gross medical malpractice, or not.

[mcgriffith]

I use both.

I won't go into the details, but suffice to say that once in Dec 08, when I had a raging chest infection/bronchitis, and couldn't breath; cyanosis and turning blue....I went to Ram ER and saw 2 physicians (radiologist and ER), had excellent treatment, and paid a very reasonable price. Pennies on the dollar compared to US treatment. And yes, I have full Thai health insurance coverage (Bupa Thailand) but don't make a claim- only for major medical issues.

I go to Sripat for the more mundane things...annual physical checkup, common flu, a lesion that doesn't heal, etc.

Ram is full service, and charges full tariff.

Sripat is a gov't hospital, and has many civil servants, and their families, being treated there. So it can be a bit of a zoo. Meaning crowded. But never hard to get an appointment. You just have to wait a bit.

It is somewhat problematic to judge a hospital, based on one patient's condition, and response to treatment. And some doctors are no doubt incompetent, and some patients have good doctors, who diagnose properly.....but the patient doesn't respond well. Not making excuses, just pointing out that a patient can get well, or not get well. Doctors are not gods, and we should not expect them to be such.

[Ulysses G.]

As I pointed out in another thread, many of the Doctors work in both hospitals. Both places are good, but RAM is a lot more convienient and Sripat is reputed to be cheaper. It up to you to decide if you want to save lots of time or if you are more concerned about saving money. I just wish I had a better idea of how much money you really save.

[eek]

I dont like to put a price on health. Thats not why I go to Suan Dok. I wrote my experience earlier, so no need to go into it. But, here are some comparative costs based on my own experience. Sorry, its not a great comparison, but should give an idea. The prices seem to fluctuate sometimes, so ill need to take a more careful look at why there are differences.

All Lab tests are thyroid level tests. Both Ultrasounds were to check the thyroid as I developed a resistant goiter, to rule anything more sinister out.

[Ulysses G.]

Thank you very much. At least now I have some idea of how much money I can save by waiting in line at Sripat. If I am understanding this correctly, I would save something like 380 baht for the same hospital and lab fees at Sripat over RAM. Is that about right?

[coolxten]

I dont like to put a price on health. Thats not why I go to Suan Dok. I wrote my experience earlier, so no need to go into it. But, here are some comparative costs based on my own experience. Sorry, its not a great comparison, but should give an idea. The prices seem to fluctuate sometimes, so ill need to take a more careful look at why there are differences.

All Lab tests are thyroid level tests. Both Ultrasounds were to check the thyroid as I developed a resistant goiter, to rule anything more sinister out.

But I understand why Bumrungrad charges so much. I was so impressed by the decor I might book my wedding there....

[mouse]

I see an obvious solution: Find a better first clas hospital in Chiang Mai, at less than half the price. Such as Sripat.

I think this thread should be closed. This is pure advertising on the behalf of some and slander on the behalf of others. I have always said, do not like what is on the channel then change stations. I am so tired of the farang community crying over money money money but at the same time those very same people will spend 20,000 a weekend on their vices or throw it away in some other way.

[Loaded]

I see an obvious solution: Find a better first clas hospital in Chiang Mai, at less than half the price. Such as Sripat.

I think this thread should be closed. This is pure advertising on the behalf of some and slander on the behalf of others. I have always said, do not like what is on the channel then change stations. I am so tired of the farang community crying over money money money but at the same time those very same people will spend 20,000 a weekend on their vices or throw it away in some other way.

I know a hospital that may be suitable for you - Suanprung.

[slapout]

I see an obvious solution: Find a better first clas hospital in Chiang Mai, at less than half the price. Such as Sripat.

I think this thread should be closed. This is pure advertising on the behalf of some and slander on the behalf of others. I have always said, do not like what is on the channel then change stations. I am so tired of the farang community crying over money money money but at the same time those very same people will spend 20,000 a weekend on their vices or throw it away in some other way.

If you know people that throw 20,000 baht away on a weekend, I would like to met the recipients and the donors of those funds. hel_l, with 20,000 to spend over a weekend on vices etc???? I would not even think about going to a hospital. I hope someone would be kind enough to drop me off at the morgue/hospital when the total amount has been devoured via various means.

[Thaihog]

I see an obvious solution: Find a better first clas hospital in Chiang Mai, at less than half the price. Such as Sripat.

I think this thread should be closed. This is pure advertising on the behalf of some and slander on the behalf of others. I have always said, do not like what is on the channel then change stations. I am so tired of the farang community crying over money money money but at the same time those very same people will spend 20,000 a weekend on their vices or throw it away in some other way.

If you know people that throw 20,000 baht away on a weekend, I would like to met the recipients and the donors of those funds. hel_l, with 20,000 to spend over a weekend on vices etc???? I would not even think about going to a hospital. I hope someone would be kind enough to drop me off at the morgue/hospital when the total amount has been devoured via various means.

2 to 3K for a game of golf, followed by 4 to 5K for food & drinks plus 2 to 3K for a pillow warmer for the night, not that difficult to spend 10K a day in LOS...

[Loaded]

2 to 3K for a game of golf, followed by 4 to 5K for food & drinks plus 2 to 3K for a pillow warmer for the night, not that difficult to spend 10K a day in LOS...

Never played golf as I think it's boring.

Never paid "4 to 5K for food and drinks". 1K is average if it's a big night for me and the missus.

When I was single I never paid 1 satang for female company for the night but I am a hansum man.

[eek]

Thank you very much. At least now I have some idea of how much money I can save by waiting in line at Sripat. If I am understanding this correctly, I would save something like 380 baht for the same hospital and lab fees at Sripat over RAM. Is that about right?

Lab Fees + hosp fees 1,250baht at Ram. Same round of test + hosp fees at Suan Dok 867baht (but im going to keep a closer eye from now on, as some bills the price has fluctuated slightly. So im confused)

So a saving of 383 baht.

Doesnt seem like much of a saving really, but it can mount up if you have a lot of lab tests etc. Again, its not really about the price for me. Would be interesting to see other comparisons!

[Asmerom]

Sripat SMSC is almost a separate hospital from Suan Doc or Maharaj. The fee to see university professors - less than half what you pay at Ram I. Very short waits

We've covered this point before but PB always insists he only ever waits a "short" time. I have been more than a dozen times to Sripat and never waited a "short" time. The appointment is fixed for 9am. One gets there at 8.30am to find your queue ticket number is 16. The Doctor usually arrives about 45minutes after 9am to start the surgery. so a wait of one and a half to two hours is quite normal. Its crowded. At RAM the wait really is "short". It's not crowded. It's quiet, peaceful,comfortable.A different experience altogether.

To say the charges are "less than half" Ram's is,in my experience , incorrect. I must rustle through my various bills to see if I can come up with a meaningful comparison, but I've never felt the difference was worth exploring.

[PeaceBlondie]

Asmerom, you may be right. I only had shoulder surgery and followups at Ram. My waits were short but not immediate, and clueless. I don't have enough direct experience to compare prices. 300 baht total for a good consult with a neurology professor suits me fine. If your personal time is too valuable to wait 15 minutes more at Sripat than Ram, fine. I'm from a country where you wait an hour to pay US$200 to see a specialist. And my appointment times are not the same as yours.