Hospital Recommendation For High Risk (expected Premature) Pregnancy

[gregb]

Looking for recommendations for a good hospital in Bangkok with exceptional care for a high risk, twin pregnancy where there is a strong chance of premature delivery. Hopefully it will last to 32 weeks, but looking for somewhere with realistic pricing for a birth as early as 28 weeks.

Bumrungrad says budget should be about 1 million - 1.5 million baht. Looking for somewhere for antenatal care and delivery that is more tolerable than that by a large margin.

Any experiences?

[Boo]

Do a search on member gunnyd posts in this section. His wife had triplets in bkk last year so his posts may be useful.

[DanBlack]

You might want to consider Hat Yai. That is where I took my baby, and was very impressed

[MikeyIdea]

Looking for recommendations for a good hospital in Bangkok with exceptional care for a high risk, twin pregnancy where there is a strong chance of premature delivery. Hopefully it will last to 32 weeks, but looking for somewhere with realistic pricing for a birth as early as 28 weeks.

Bumrungrad says budget should be about 1 million - 1.5 million baht. Looking for somewhere for antenatal care and delivery that is more tolerable than that by a large margin.

Any experiences?

You're asking for exceptional care for a high risk twin pregnancy, that doesn't come cheap I am sure. I don't think that you can get a by a large margin cheaper price with the same very high standards

I think it should be considered where you live. Having the worlds best hospital but being 2 hours away if it's rush hour is not going to help the mother and the child in an emergency.

I would check Samitivet (very expensive too for sure), Bangkok Christian Silom (could be OK priced actually), Bangkok Hospital (big hospital, really big, a bit commersial, child psychiatrists = parent psychiatrists are great, I have no idea about giving birth there), Rama 9 hospital (expensive but probably good, wouldn't choose it myself)

Good Luck

[gregb]

Does anyone have any experience with Ramathibodi Hospital (Mahidol University)? They are the only government hospital I can find who advertises that they have an NICU.

It is quite clear from the comments above as well as a PM from gunnyd (thanks Darrell) that a private hospital will most likely be out of the question. There is simply no way to pay for it. I will investigate Bangkok Christian Silom. (Thanks for the suggestion MikeyIdea).

Does anyone have any personal experiences with Ramathibodi, or is there another government or inexpensive private hospital I should investigate?

DanBlack: Which hospital in HatYai did you go to?

[DanBlack]

It is a university government hospital called Songklanakarin Very cheap. Very, very good

[RustyYellowDodge]

Any of the downtown Bangkok "expat/medical tourist" hospitals are going to be quite expensive. Government hospitals are usually not preferred by them because of the limited enligsh of staff, and the lack of "amenities". You are, I believe, overlooking a great option, some of the outlying private hospitals. These, in my experience, provide quality care - doctors can communicate well, etc.The Phya Thai Chain (PT 1, PT2, and PT 3) - my son was born in PT3, and I stayed there for a week, before - first rateThe Kasemrad ChainChao Phrya Hospital - etc.These hospitals should be checked out, and stay clear of those downtown sucker factories, unless you really need a McDonalds on site. Want a Big Mac with your colonoscopy?

[leftcross]

you should avoid Bumrungrad. they were just in the news after being sued because they didnt pick up a child with no legs and one arm in an ultrasound. they told the parents the baby was fine and the first they know of the deformity was the day of the birth.

i would also advise you to avoid bangkok christian hospital. the service there now is terrible, with inflated prices too. recently we suspected our child had measles so we took him to the skin clinic there to get his rash looked at. the female doctor looked at his back for three or four seconds and said ''it is because you are putting him in a shower with hot water''. i asked her specifically if she was sure it wasn't measles and she said it wasn't.

the rash kept on growing and devloped into measles soon after.

i had to pay 880 baht for this stupid woman. i will never take my child there again. my wife wants me to put the ''doctors'' name on here so others can avoid her.

[Sheryl]

If one is going to exclude every hospital that has a single substandard doctor (or doctor who made a mistake) on staff that will rule out all hospitals.

There are some very good doctors to be found at both Bumrungrad and Bkk Christian if one takes the time to do some research and select with care.

Bkk Christian does have a NICU. It is I think a small facility though. They have just 2 neonataologists on staff, both with some training in the US, Dr. Pramote Praisuwanna seems to be the more senior of the two.

If possible I suggest you visit the hospital, ask to see the NICU, and have an appointment with Dr. Pramote and see if you feel comofrtable with the place.

All the major tertiary government hospitals e.g. Chulalonghorn, Siriraj etc have NICUs. The care will be of acceptable quality but English language skills lacking except in some of the dcotors, and things like explanations/ emotional support to the parents likely to be poor which can make for a stressful time of it.

[leftcross]

If one is going to exclude every hospital that has a single substandard doctor (or doctor who made a mistake) on staff that will rule out all hospitals.

There are some very good doctors to be found at both Bumrungrad and Bkk Christian if one takes the time to do some research and select with care.

Bkk Christian does have a NICU. It is I think a small facility though. They have just 2 neonataologists on staff, both with some training in the US, Dr. Pramote Praisuwanna seems to be the more senior of the two.

If possible I suggest you visit the hospital, ask to see the NICU, and have an appointment with Dr. Pramote and see if you feel comofrtable with the place.

All the major tertiary government hospitals e.g. Chulalonghorn, Siriraj etc have NICUs. The care will be of acceptable quality but English language skills lacking except in some of the dcotors, and things like explanations/ emotional support to the parents likely to be poor which can make for a stressful time of it.

i could name you 10 instances where we have had terrible service at Bangkok Christian Hospital, that was the one that finally convinced me to stop going there.

others...booking an appointment with eye doctor on thursday for saturday. fighting our way through traffic only to be told he had gone on holiday to america and had been there for the previous week.

rash on baby's face...was told he was allergic to milk even though no tests, swabs done. he wasn't.

was told we could have a 3000 baht discount on c-section, had the c-section then baby section said our boy needed 3,000 baht worth of uv lamp for jaundice (doctor came in the room as we were about to leave with a plastic laminated graph chart, clearly a rehearsed act)

oh...but the new building looks nice.

if i pay extra then i expect extra service but it just isnt worth it there.

[MikeyIdea]

A girl reporting to me at work gave birth at Bangkok Christian 21 December 2009, normal birth without complications, she was very pleased with the doctor and the service, in her specific case.

I would agree with those who suggest checking government hospitals too. I’ve had 2 friends over the years who have given girth at Chulalongkorn, again without complications, and they are certainly pleased with the competence of the doctors and the price. Waiting time is of course another thing. I remember my friend being very tired after coming to Chula at 7 AM for a doctors appointment and not seeing the doctor until 11 AM. A couple of hours waiting time for routine appointments should probably be expected. On the other hand, I do think that real emergencies will be getting good and quick service at Chula.

Chula is the most famous government hospital and is notorious for long waiting times; it is not the only good government hospital. I don’t know which other government hospitals have NICU but I would ask at Chula or check around, Bangkok should have more, several more maybe, to check out before going up-country.

Personally, I think government hospital is the way to go for 3 reasons, IMO;

1) I can barely afford a million bath, it would affect my economy very badly indeed

2) What if there are more complications that add another half a million…? Oh, Shi_t…

3) I do believe that some government hospitals in Thailand can offer competent delivery of a difficult twin case, the knowledge is not limited to private hospitals at all.

Please keep us informed

[sinbin]

The nearest government hospital to me is more of a "medical reception station" than an hospital, but even they have an NICU. Any complications can be transfered to a main hospital 30 minutes away, if need be. I support the above post

[kannon99]

Something else to consider when looking at NICUs in government hospitals is that they usually do not have good visiting hours for parents, don't do kangaroo care, and don't want to give breastmilk the mother has pumped or even get baby to breast when it is ready. I have supported a few mothers with preemies here and those things are very important.

[MikeyIdea]

Very good comments kannon99, very important to consider. Thanks

[sinbin]

One of my children had to have a spell in NICU at a government hospital and there was no restriction on parental visiting times.

Edited January 8, 2010 by sinbin