International Hospitals Phuket

[Nip]

Over the last few years I have heard some really shocking stories with regards to Phuket International Hospital and recently a friends wife who had to undergo an operation in the hospital was treated so appallingly that she hobbled out of the hospital ward past the nurses station in tears less than 18 hours after her operation. The nursing staff on duty to her dismay completely ignored her. The distraught woman was found by her husband stretched out in the reception area crying in agony. A close friend of hers she discovered had some months previously taken a similar action. That is upped and left the hospital as she too was treated so poorly. The general feeling among many who have been living here for any period time is that the hospital is a complete shambles. That is metaphorically and physically. The toilets are filthy and there is dust, debris and disarray every where. I myself queried one night in same Phuket International Hospital - noting that there seemed to be so few doctors on duty in the emergency room - how could the hospital cope with emergencies. That is what level and spread of expertise and staff were available in the hospital at any given time. Concerned I asked one of the doctors on duty a straight question which was ... If he was in a car accident be it day or night which hospital would he prefer to be taken to and without hesitation he said Bangkok-Phuket Hospital. Another aspect is that many of the doctors who work for the various hospitals in Phuket also run clinics at night time which I assume is a consequence of low pay and reduces the available expertise. This is something I would guess is not usual with high quality international hospitals. That is specialists double jobbing? I am a concerned citizen of Phuket and was just wondering should the need arise which hospital should I and my family be heading for? Perhaps I have answered my own question? While few have anything positive to say about Phuket International Hospital I have heard few complaints about Bangkok - Phuket Hospital.

[LivinginKata]

While few have anything positive to say about Phuket International Hospital I have heard few complaints about Bangkok - Phuket Hospital.

I have used Phuket International Hospital for the past 13 years and I have had no complaint about that hospital. I know plenty of other Phuket expats who prefer the International to the more glitsy Bangkok Phuket. I don't doubt the Bangkok Phuket has excellent medical care, but I do not like their usual practice of extracting every baht possible out of the patient or patient's insurance.

[fiddlehead]

I had a much different experience at International Hospital than your friend.

They treated me great. I only had one complaint and that was that the guy steering the gurney on my way to the operating room kept bumping into things and i was in pain at the time. (and i remember the ladies in the OR where all watching TV when i was getting ready to go under)

But the nurses were friendly, always there when i needed them, my room was cleaned daily, the doctor was great. ( have a very small scar now)

I remember when i checked out, a nurse said goodbye to me and she could tell i didn't remember her, then she asked and i said no. She said, "on your first night here, you were in a lot of pain and i sat up with you all night" I hadn't remembered. Wish i had.

I could tell you some horror stories about hospitals in the US also that might shock you.

Or Bangkok Phuket Hospital. They all have their days i guess.

[ScubaBuddha]

This is a surprise to me. I was just recommended Phuket International over Bangkok Phuket by my GF as I have to pick a hospital for my new insurance. She says most farang she knows prefer P.I. And it is also my understanding, having used several doctors and hospitals in Phuket due to a diving injury, that doctors here commonly have thier own clinic in connection with working at the Hospitals. In fact one told me it is compulsory they put in X amount of time at the government hospitals for very low pay in order to practice in Thailand. Many of them also work at local Resorts. I have seen one of my doctors at both Kata Beach Resort and La Meridian, for example.

[katabeachbum]

8 year old kid got his foot into bike wheel. Fleshwound, but bone ok.

Went to Phuket International. Antibiotica, stitches. Cleaning and dressing every day in PI. 7 days off antibiotica. 8 days cleaned the leg, the foot and the wound lastly WITH SAME CLOTH. 5 hours later running fever. Back to PI. No problem, clean again. No doctor available. Next day very high fever.

Decided to move to BKK int. Excellent treatment. Amputating the infected flesh, and treated in hospital for a month. They saved his leg from amputating. Cost 200k, insurance covered 150k

The whole incident could easily have been avoided at PI with simple hospital hygiene, and proper medication by doctor.

Bkk int excellent, but expensive. Phuket Internatinal I will never go back to. No hospiatal hygiene and sloppy staff. At least 4 years ago.

[MisterMan]

Once when I was leaving PI, i was in the downstairs parking lot looking for my car and they were spraying pesticide. It was so thick that when I got to my car to leave I could not even see in front of me and had to wait for the cloud of toxic carcinogenic poison to clear.

It was really great to be in a closed environment like that with those toxic fumes.

[bellachg]

I have been a patient in all the 4 hospitals in Phuket and these are my experiences:

Bangkok-Phuket Hospital: Treatment and care quite good, but Air Conditioning VERY cold. However, they have a policy NOT to use generic drugs, therefore some medication 8-10 times more expensive than need to be. That was my reason to move out of there, because I just could not afford the cost, not having insurance

Phuket International: Quite Ok in general. However, doctor recommended an operation (lumbar disk) when later it turned out to be unnecessary. That was the reason I moved out, after receiving another medical opinion. Generic drug issue, do not know.

Mission Hospital: Quite OK. Use it most of the time. On the lumbar problem (bacterial infection) the doctor did the right thing initially in asking for a MRI scan (which only Bangkok Hospital has instrumentation for) but later did not follow through in also ordering a biopsy. He prescribed medication against Tuberculosis when after the biopsy I did have later at Bangkok Hospital the bacteria was in fact Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (the Brazilian supermodel died of this one after 4 weeks recently).

Ended up at Wachira for 6 weeks of hospitalization for twice daily infusions of the same Antibacteria drug (generic, produced in Thailand), which the Bangkok Hospital had prescribed (brand name drug from Germany), at about 20 % of the cost of what I would have paid at Bangkok Hospital. Was quite happy at Wachira, friendly attentive staff in a single room, only the doctor's English, while good in theory, his pronounciation made it extremely difficult for me to understand him. I liked the greenery all around the hospital, whereas the private hospitals are all concrete environment.

[Damaz6052]

While few have anything positive to say about Phuket International Hospital I have heard few complaints about Bangkok - Phuket Hospital.

I have used Phuket International Hospital for the past 13 years and I have had no complaint about that hospital. I know plenty of other Phuket expats who prefer the International to the more glitsy Bangkok Phuket. I don't doubt the Bangkok Phuket has excellent medical care, but I do not like their usual practice of extracting every baht possible out of the patient or patient's insurance.

I am the same had excellent care there 2 months ago stayed in the hospital for 4 days, no problems somtimes busy when I went for my follow up....30 thousand baht cheaper for my operation than Krung Thep.

[BigSnake]

Over the last few years I have heard some really shocking stories with regards to Phuket International Hospital and recently a friends wife who had to undergo an operation in the hospital was treated so appallingly that she hobbled out of the hospital ward past the nurses station in tears less than 18 hours after her operation. The nursing staff on duty to her dismay completely ignored her. The distraught woman was found by her husband stretched out in the reception area crying in agony. A close friend of hers she discovered had some months previously taken a similar action. That is upped and left the hospital as she too was treated so poorly. The general feeling among many who have been living here for any period time is that the hospital is a complete shambles. That is metaphorically and physically. The toilets are filthy and there is dust, debris and disarray every where. I myself queried one night in same Phuket International Hospital - noting that there seemed to be so few doctors on duty in the emergency room - how could the hospital cope with emergencies. That is what level and spread of expertise and staff were available in the hospital at any given time. Concerned I asked one of the doctors on duty a straight question which was ... If he was in a car accident be it day or night which hospital would he prefer to be taken to and without hesitation he said Bangkok-Phuket Hospital. Another aspect is that many of the doctors who work for the various hospitals in Phuket also run clinics at night time which I assume is a consequence of low pay and reduces the available expertise. This is something I would guess is not usual with high quality international hospitals. That is specialists double jobbing? I am a concerned citizen of Phuket and was just wondering should the need arise which hospital should I and my family be heading for? Perhaps I have answered my own question? While few have anything positive to say about Phuket International Hospital I have heard few complaints about Bangkok - Phuket Hospital.

WOW!! two side to every story, from reading some of the good things posted here about the International Hospitals Phuket, sound like your friends were in a completely different hospital. Only have three friends in the area that use this hospital, never heard this mention anything good or bad about this hospital. to hear about the bad experience of your friends, maybe just a bad days for the staff, what ever the reason somebody should have brought to the attention of the PR folks at the Hospital. Let your friend wife leave the hospital ward like you said she did is in my opinion is a serious matter and those nurses should be brought to task for this.

[chiang mai]

I have no experience of the hospital but I can confirm that their dental department is a very poor proposition - very poor diagnostics (missed need for fillings during cleaning), overcharging for work previously quoted for and poor patient handling skills on the part of their visiting orthodontist.

[Somtamnication]

I have used both. But PI used more as BP is too expensive and you are charged an extra 100baht for EACH medication prescribed. CHECK YOUR RECEIPT.

I usually get the prescription and do not purchase anything. You will pay %300 or more for the medication there.

At PI, it is hit and miss. Been there a few times as an outpatient, as has my wife and son.

On my last trip there to have my eyes checked after a diabetic shock fiasco the week before, the eye doctor was very rude and quite surly in his manners with me.

As I sat down, he requested that my girlfriend leave the room. Assuming that someone who had been my wife for 7 years as my girlfriend was down right wrong.

Then he spoke to me in Thai. He insisted on it. I tried to explain what was wrong, etc etc. As I proceeded to get up and call my so called girlfriend, he decided to switch to English.

He clearly saw that I was struggling to explain my medical condition in Thai. Racist to the core. I have not returned since. But I do see one of their doctors at his clinic, as he is an internal medicine spec and is very very caring and speaks moderate English.

I now use Mission Hospital. No double pricing and with an accompanying Thai, you can get all the answers you need. My son was born there as well and we will use it again.

[Jeejeab]

Over the last few years I have heard some really shocking stories with regards to Phuket International Hospital and recently a friends wife who had to undergo an operation in the hospital was treated so appallingly that she hobbled out of the hospital ward past the nurses station in tears less than 18 hours after her operation. The nursing staff on duty to her dismay completely ignored her. The distraught woman was found by her husband stretched out in the reception area crying in agony. A close friend of hers she discovered had some months previously taken a similar action. That is upped and left the hospital as she too was treated so poorly. The general feeling among many who have been living here for any period time is that the hospital is a complete shambles. That is metaphorically and physically. The toilets are filthy and there is dust, debris and disarray every where. I myself queried one night in same Phuket International Hospital - noting that there seemed to be so few doctors on duty in the emergency room - how could the hospital cope with emergencies. That is what level and spread of expertise and staff were available in the hospital at any given time. Concerned I asked one of the doctors on duty a straight question which was ... If he was in a car accident be it day or night which hospital would he prefer to be taken to and without hesitation he said Bangkok-Phuket Hospital. Another aspect is that many of the doctors who work for the various hospitals in Phuket also run clinics at night time which I assume is a consequence of low pay and reduces the available expertise. This is something I would guess is not usual with high quality international hospitals. That is specialists double jobbing? I am a concerned citizen of Phuket and was just wondering should the need arise which hospital should I and my family be heading for? Perhaps I have answered my own question? While few have anything positive to say about Phuket International Hospital I have heard few complaints about Bangkok - Phuket Hospital.

Quite unusual situation. I always has good experience with Phuket international hospital

JJ

[tirekicker]

My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer at the Phuket International hospital, as if that was not bad enough it was the unprofessional manner in which the doctor relayed the bad news, after which we were just left standing there gob smacked and tearful.

After that episode we decided to go to The Bangkok Phuket Hospital where the staff and Doctor were far more understanding, a week later an operation was carried out.

During the week in the hospital the Doctor was excellent, but i have to say that many of the nursing staff were not that good and would go so far as to say unprofessional to the point of me putting in a complaint before leaving.

[Nip]

[

WOW!! two side to every story, from reading some of the good things posted here about the International Hospitals Phuket, sound like your friends were in a completely different hospital. Only have three friends in the area that use this hospital, never heard this mention anything good or bad about this hospital. to hear about the bad experience of your friends, maybe just a bad days for the staff, what ever the reason somebody should have brought to the attention of the PR folks at the Hospital. Let your friend wife leave the hospital ward like you said she did is in my opinion is a serious matter and those nurses should be brought to task for this.

My friend went to the senior registrar, the head of nursing and the supercilious and disinterested PR department and was offered no apologies indeed was met with nothing more than blank expressions. Not a single apology! Not a single look of concern! When he asked that the nurses be summoned (less than an hour after his wife hobbled out of her room) in order that her patient notes could be examined he was told they had finished their shift. His wife had on three occasions over night requested pain killers and was told that they could not be issued unless her doctor prescribed them and he was not due in until the morning. Point here also was that from 6pm until 6am the only time a nurse attended his wife was when they were summoned by her. Another thing was when he went to visit his wife minutes after the operation in the observation room outside the operating room the nurses were huddled in a corner talking while she was crying in pain on the gurney. Further to all this I have a mate (resident in Phuket) in Germany at the moment getting a hip replacement as it happens and he nearly had to have his leg amputated due to errors in P.I.H. Another left in a box. An American, his wife claimed that the hospital misdiagnosed or was too slow to react to heat exhaustion. Not long ago a well known Phuket resident passed away. His girl friend claimed that he was given the wrong medicine. It is all so worrying. I myself brought my wife who was very unwell with malaria type symptoms. The disinterested female doctor spoke to her and gave her Asprin or such like. She did not examine her at all and surprisingly did not request blood tests. Unimpressed we went straight to the clinic in Chalong opposite the police station and the excellent doctor there gave her a full examination and took blood for testing. My wife as it happened did have a problem and it was made evident in the blood test. The blood test P.I.H. failed to carry out. Me ? I think the problem with P.I.H stems from the bad management attitude both to patients and staff which manifests itself in the shoddy uncaring service. I would also suggest that if a governmental hygiene department inspected P.I.H that it would fail! I would also suggest that like Patong Hospital they do not have a sufficient number of working doctors to qualify as a local hospital never mind an international hospital. There was also the recent story of the Thai woman who claimed to be the wife of this terminally ill patient who gave permission for his life support machine to be turned off. Thankfully the man's real wife arrived and the man recovered.

[Nip]

My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer at the Phuket International hospital, as if that was not bad enough it was the unprofessional manner in which the doctor relayed the bad news, after which we were just left standing there gob smacked and tearful.

After that episode we decided to go to The Bangkok Phuket Hospital where the staff and Doctor were far more understanding, a week later an operation was carried out.

During the week in the hospital the Doctor was excellent, but i have to say that many of the nursing staff were not that good and would go so far as to say unprofessional to the point of me putting in a complaint before leaving.

I hope all is well with your wife now. It must have been a terrible shock to receive such news. I recall being with my father when he was told he had lung cancer. This was in Europe. The doctor just waltzed in... Told my father they had found an inoperable cancerous mass in his lungs. When my father regained his composure he asked what was the prognosis... The doctor looked him straight in the eye and said... "Not good! If you dont have your legal concerns in order I would call your solicitor today and arrange an immediate meeting. We are talking days not weeks" I could not believe my ears. Best wishes to your wife and so sorry for your treatment in P.I.H.

[Sir Burr]

I have stayed at PI and BPI and have had good experiences with each.

It all comes down to the individual doctor you are dealing with. PI has, I'm told, the best OB/GYN department, due to the doctor in charge.

BPI, I agree, is a money-extractor, but, if I had a serious condition, I'd probably go there first.

[ivowatson]

I have stayed at PI and BPI and have had good experiences with each.

It all comes down to the individual doctor you are dealing with. PI has, I'm told, the best OB/GYN department, due to the doctor in charge.

BPI, I agree, is a money-extractor, but, if I had a serious condition, I'd probably go there first.

I (or familymembers) have stayed at both too and have some good but more bad experiences.

About the PIH OB/GYN department, I can only say that the female gynecologist 'forgot' some kind of small towel inside the uterus after a miscarriage op. I suppose this can happen to everyone. After one year of complaints of strong pain and subsequently seeing 3 different doctors (who looked like they were only interested in prescribing medicines) a scan was made on the final visit and the problem solved. For people who expect an apology, I guess you're in the wrong country. I suppose it's really hard and stressful for them with all those instalments on houses and luxury cars.

What do you mean by money-extractor? Stealing, robbing, cheating, misinforming, scamming? Everyone who came in contact with BPH knows this. For me they're just the same as the tuktuk drivers, the only difference that they are well respected. I happen to know 2 large Scandinavian tour operators who's insurances don't pay back any more money to customers who went to BPH. I think I don't have to explain why this is.

My great frustration is that people or companies who act like this are not regarded as cheaters in Thailand but rather as clever.

[tirekicker]

I hope all is well with your wife now. It must have been a terrible shock to receive such news. I recall being with my father when he was told he had lung cancer. This was in Europe. The doctor just waltzed in... Told my father they had found an inoperable cancerous mass in his lungs. When my father regained his composure he asked what was the prognosis... The doctor looked him straight in the eye and said... "Not good! If you dont have your legal concerns in order I would call your solicitor today and arrange an immediate meeting. We are talking days not weeks" I could not believe my ears. Best wishes to your wife and so sorry for your treatment in P.I.H.

Thank you for your find words. I can well imagine the horror you and your father must have gone through, nothing short of a nightmare.

Apart from the usual side effects my wife is responding well to the drugs prescribed by the oncologist who incidentally is very good. We just hope that the healing continues.