Pattaya International Hospital

[thaisabai]

Has anyone any experience with this hospital?

on all the forums, usually Bangkok Pattaya hospital or Bumrunrad BKK are mentioned but never the Pattaya international hospital. are the prices there camparable with Bangkok Pattaya hospital? do the doctors speak English?

thanks for your input

thaisabai

[SeanMoran]

If they have the same budget as Bangkok-Rayong Hospital then they'll probably even have Internet access so you can show the doctor all about your maladies on the website.

It worked for me a few weeks ago.

[Phil Conners]

Bangkok International used to be THE international hospital 20 years ago. Today they're second tier.

[CHdiver]

Doctors do speak english, actually the nurses and reception too. So you will be fine there. Its usually a little cheaper there, but not all doctors are working there full time. So you may have to wait a day or two if you want to see a specialist. But its modern, clean and usually my choice if I have to go and see a Doctor in a Hospital.

[mpetersen]

If they have the same budget as Bangkok-Rayong Hospital then they'll probably even have Internet access so you can show the doctor all about your maladies on the website.

It worked for me a few weeks ago.

I am very impressed with their facilities and service.

[rmicheald]

I ALWAYS use International. I have insurance through my work and International is cheaper without the insurance than Bangkok Pattaya is with the insurance. I have always received excellent care. The only time I use BPH is once yearly when they have their 50% off health checkups.

[snuggzzz]

I was taken to the Pattaya International Hospital (PIH)with a badly fractured ankle. It took 3 operations inserting 'pins and plates' over 10 weeks before I could get the Doctor to grant me the 'permission to fly' letter to enable me to get an airline to fly me back to the UK. I had to beg the Doctor at the PIH for that letter.

Upon my return to the UK I was seen by a Consultant who immediately admitted me to Hospital, the wound was seriously infected requiring an immediate operation to remove the 'botched patch up' of pins and plates; the infection had to be stopped in order to save my foot from amputation I spent a long period on antibiotics with 2 further operations.

The X-rays I collected from the Pattaya International Hospital I gave to the UK Consultant, he uses them now in lectures, to illustrate what a 'dogs dinner' of an operation looks like.

I am crippled now, walk only with the aid of a walking stick, being in the UK, I made representation to the PIH no one has replied to my emails concerning the appaling outcome, indeed, all enquiries draw a blank. I even made representation to Neils Colov, who champions causes, of my predicament, because he know the owners of the Hospital, he arranges for them to speak to ex-pats on Health; he nor any member of that ex-pats club bothered to reply.

Just take heed of my story.

[tropo]

I was taken to the Pattaya International Hospital (PIH)with a badly fractured ankle. It took 3 operations inserting 'pins and plates' over 10 weeks before I could get the Doctor to grant me the 'permission to fly' letter to enable me to get an airline to fly me back to the UK. I had to beg the Doctor at the PIH for that letter.

Upon my return to the UK I was seen by a Consultant who immediately admitted me to Hospital, the wound was seriously infected requiring an immediate operation to remove the 'botched patch up' of pins and plates; the infection had to be stopped in order to save my foot from amputation I spent a long period on antibiotics with 2 further operations.

The X-rays I collected from the Pattaya International Hospital I gave to the UK Consultant, he uses them now in lectures, to illustrate what a 'dogs dinner' of an operation looks like.

I am crippled now, walk only with the aid of a walking stick, being in the UK, I made representation to the PIH no one has replied to my emails concerning the appaling outcome, indeed, all enquiries draw a blank. I even made representation to Neils Colov, who champions causes, of my predicament, because he know the owners of the Hospital, he arranges for them to speak to ex-pats on Health; he nor any member of that ex-pats club bothered to reply.

Just take heed of my story.

That is a sad story indeed but you cannot put all the specialists who work from PIH in the same basket. Most of the specialists who work out of PIH are not resident specialists and work from many different hospitals around the province. One specialist there was only available at PIH on 2 days in the month.

It would really help if you could name the orthopaedic surgeon who botched your ankle reconstruction. I've used an orthopaedic surgeon there and would like to know if it is the same guy.

[deejah]

i know a fellow who went there last week with a fever and they told him it would cost 30,000 baht a night!!!

i told him to flee and he did, costing him a mere 300 baht

he is fine now

i am planning to go to olivier for some blood work but if someone can recommend a good diagnostician in pattaya i might reconsider

[dsfbrit]

I was taken to the Pattaya International Hospital (PIH)with a badly fractured ankle. It took 3 operations inserting 'pins and plates' over 10 weeks before I could get the Doctor to grant me the 'permission to fly' letter to enable me to get an airline to fly me back to the UK. I had to beg the Doctor at the PIH for that letter.

Upon my return to the UK I was seen by a Consultant who immediately admitted me to Hospital, the wound was seriously infected requiring an immediate operation to remove the 'botched patch up' of pins and plates; the infection had to be stopped in order to save my foot from amputation I spent a long period on antibiotics with 2 further operations.

The X-rays I collected from the Pattaya International Hospital I gave to the UK Consultant, he uses them now in lectures, to illustrate what a 'dogs dinner' of an operation looks like.

I am crippled now, walk only with the aid of a walking stick, being in the UK, I made representation to the PIH no one has replied to my emails concerning the appaling outcome, indeed, all enquiries draw a blank. I even made representation to Neils Colov, who champions causes, of my predicament, because he know the owners of the Hospital, he arranges for them to speak to ex-pats on Health; he nor any member of that ex-pats club bothered to reply.

Just take heed of my story.

That is a sad story indeed but you cannot put all the specialists who work from PIH in the same basket. Most of the specialists who work out of PIH are not resident specialists and work from many different hospitals around the province. One specialist there was only available at PIH on 2 days in the month.

It would really help if you could name the orthopaedic surgeon who botched your ankle reconstruction. I've used an orthopaedic surgeon there and would like to know if it is the same guy.

Well it has certainly put me off.

Sometime in the future I will need a hip replacement or hip resurfacing operation. I have been to Bumrungrand in Bangkok and Bangkok Pattaya to see their specialists. They both have resident specialists and I would not have anything to do with any hospital that does not have resident specialists for orthopaedic operations. Saving a bit of cash is just not worth it if you can have this happen. Snuggzzz, I hope you can at least get around without too much discomfort.

To the Op, for what its worth, I will probably opt for Bumrungrand. Their costs are similar to BPH and are clearly detailed on their website, with real-life recent patient invoices shown, their facilities are excellent, and the surgeon spent a lot of time showing me the various types of hip materials they could use. BPH were very 'fuzzy' about their costs and could only offer a subset of the hip operations offered by Bumrungrand.

The only real downside are the trips I will need to make to Bangkok for post operation examinations - a local hospital would be more convenient.

[timekeeper]

''Sometime in the future I will need a hip replacement or hip resurfacing operation. I have been to Bumrungrand in Bangkok and Bangkok Pattaya to see their specialists. They both have resident specialists and I would not have anything to do with any hospital that does not have resident specialists for orthopaedic operations. Saving a bit of cash is just not worth it if you can have this happen. Snuggzzz, I hope you can at least get around without too much discomfort.''

''To the Op, for what its worth, I will probably opt for Bumrungrand. Their costs are similar to BPH and are clearly detailed on their website, with real-life recent patient invoices shown, their facilities are excellent, and the surgeon spent a lot of time showing me the various types of hip materials they could use. BPH were very 'fuzzy' about their costs and could only offer a subset of the hip operations offered by Bumrungrand.''

FYi my mother now 77 has had both hips replaced at BPH by Dr Suradej.

she came over in a wheelchair five years ago in tremendous pain and now walks normally and goes to the beach everyday

shes not paying football or anything but her life has been transformed by the hip operations

i cannot speak too highly of Dr. Suradej's care, dedication and profesionalism

he is a wonderful man and i am deeply indebted to him

the hospital were wonderful too and i opted for homecare visits twice a day after the operation for 2 months until she was fully recovered

overall a fantastic experience for her despite her fears.

Ok now the downside, the daily war with the cashiers and billing system

constantly fighting attempts to charge for food, services & medicine she never had and charging for everything down to a single cotton wool ball and the nurses fee to use it.

my advise, get an itemised bill every day, keep a seperate record of everything yourself.

compare your list to theirs and be firm and outspoken if its wrong.

i worked it out after the first operation that attempts at overcharging had amounted to 17,000 baht

it did not happen the second time, i noted my account had been marked with a big yellow banner which seemingly told everyone, do not <deleted> with this guy over billing

BPH and i have got on great ever since, i have made some friends there amongst the staff despite my problems with billing and i still use BPH for all my familys needs

i highly recommend them for the medical procedures, if not for the costings of it......

[dsfbrit]

Thanks for the feedback -I am glad your mother is having such a new lease of life.

What you are saying is in line with what others have said about BPH.

I am put off by the thought of having to battle with them over billing - its good for your mum she has you to do it for her - perhaps you could come and battle with them for me.

BPH operations for hips though tend to be just the 'replacement' operation. This involves cutting out a lump of bone and is the more traditional method. It works fine. There are new operations though that involve just 'resurfacing' the bone - so no need to cut the bone away. BPH have only just started doing these newer operations and they were offering just one 'resurfacing' joint - Bumrungrand have done them for some time and have several joints - so another reason why I think that is a better choice (for me anyway) overall.

[timekeeper]

Thanks for the feedback -I am glad your mother is having such a new lease of life.

What you are saying is in line with what others have said about BPH.

I am put off by the thought of having to battle with them over billing - its good for your mum she has you to do it for her - perhaps you could come and battle with them for me.

BPH operations for hips though tend to be just the 'replacement' operation. This involves cutting out a lump of bone and is the more traditional method. It works fine. There are new operations though that involve just 'resurfacing' the bone - so no need to cut the bone away. BPH have only just started doing these newer operations and they were offering just one 'resurfacing' joint - Bumrungrand have done them for some time and have several joints - so another reason why I think that is a better choice (for me anyway) overall.

thank you, i will pass on your thoughts to her

just as an aside, after the second operation they asked if they could send the end of the bone for medical research

she said yes of course but they gave her an opportunity to look at it before it went

i have to say it looked like the surface of the moon

it was horribly pitted and looked like my great dane had been chewing on it for a week

you would have needed an angle grinder to resurface that one!

i wish you good health and success wherever you go to get fixed

[thaisabai]

thanks all guys, especially SeanMoran,Phil Conners, CHdiver, mPetersen and rmicheald. You made me more confident to pay this hospital a visit. Although I like BPH, I have the same feeling, that they are greedy.

thaisabai

[aussiechick]

I have just had a friend in PIH - he was at BP but decided to get a second opinion. This was for a major operation. The Doctor works at PIH - much more efficient. He was very happy with the PIH, and cannot praise the nursing staff and doctors enough.

[Beardog]

I have been using PIH for 5 years & they do a good job. When it comes to major surgery I would probably be more inclined to go back to the U.S. regardless of the cost. The doctor that I saw 2 months ago for my knee ex rays studied at UCLA in the U.S. & was very sharp.And they are a hel_l of a lot more cheaper on most things than Pattaya Bangkok hospital. No complaints from me the service is good.

[thaisabai]

well, here is my xperience:

went to the Intl. Hospital in the morning and got an appointment with an ear specialist for 16.30 in the afternoon.

went there at 16.15 and they made me wait 1 and a half hour.

the hospital is a building site, dust and workmen all over the place.

the waiting room did not have much AC and there were not enough chairs.

Finally the doctor spent 5 minutes checking my ears and the nurse another 5 minutes to do a hearing test.

was prescribed some medication for improvement of bloodflow.

The Bill: 3710 Baht! Noted that the pysician fee is 300 Baht higher than in Bangkok-Pattaya hospital.

In addition, I asked them to provide me with a medication that is not available in Pattaya (a stop smoking drug). I wanted to save the trip to Bangkok. After long discussions and with the help of a doctor, they finally agreed to order the drug.

The personel in the pharmacy hardly speak any English (except for the cashier) and the paperwork is incredible!

2 days later they called me that the medication is ready to be picked up. I went there in the afternoon and it took a good half hour until they understood why I came. Then another 15 minutes to find the medication (which was sitting in a basket right in front of them)

Finally they charged me 3080 Baht fo the 28 pills (the same pills cost 1300 Baht in any hospital in Bangkok!!!!!

2 days later I visited the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital for a skin problem. What a difference!

a friendly welcome, opening the door from my taxi, excorted to the lobby, then escorted to the building where the dermatologist is located, asked if I wanted a refreshment, waited 6 minutes to be seen by the doctor, doctor asked me if I would mind waiting 30 minutes for the lab result, was again asked if I wanted refreshment, seen by the doctor after 20 minutes with the result, was prescribed some cream and pills for the fungus, was excorted to the cashier.

Total cost for a short time in extremely pleasant and super friendly environment: 1200 Baht!!!

guess where I go next time!

[CHdiver]

I was last time there one month ago. Totally different experience. Went to the eye clinic. Was 15 min. early and was actually out before I should have to be there. I had to laser one eye and they wanted to do it on the spot. Decided to go in one week later and all went well. Very professional fast, friendly and cheaper then when I went to check my eye some years ago in Bangkok Pattaya. Btw. the first Visit at the PI was 600 baht if I am not totally wrong.

[NormanW]

I have ONLY used PIH for all of my aches and pains etc. I have never had bad service there indeed only good things from there. I have taken chocolates to doctors who have treated me over the 17 years I have been here just to say thank you.

Good and bad every where right?

All the best.

[Para]

Both my wife and myself have used PIH recently

IMO Service is ok-ish BUT the price has been outrageous.

I was admitted with severe abdominal pain, took them 7 hours of tests to work out I had gall stone problems. I asked the doctor how long rough price for the treatment, he told me I needed to spend a week in hospital to get my fever down then have my GB removed and another week. I asked him about cost and was told the OP alone was going to be 100,000 baht and that's if there were no problems. I was in that wonderful world of morphine and really didn't get the numbers

Then I heard the way the doctor was talking to my wife (both Thai). I asked her what was up she, knowing me, said Oh everything ok. Mouth said ok but her face was not happy. I understand body language exceptionally well and Thai enough to understood enough. I pulled the IV line out and told the doctor to make my bill up.

I was in there for 23 hours total cost 37,000 Baht........

Last week I had to go back to get a copy of the receipt and was told it would cost me 100 baht for a copy, <deleted>? I smiled and asked for the manager. Luckily an English doctor comes over I asked him why after paying (being ripped off) for 37k should I have to pay 100 baht for a copy receipt. I asked him just call my name up on your system and print off a copy please.

Then I got the explanation which had me both laughing so much I just paid the 100B.

Apparently The hospital is scared of 'losing' patients details so whilst patient information is kept on computer the cashier's records are not. That they would have to send someone to the records warehouse, PHYSICALLY find my original receipt, photocopy it and give me the copy. He then asked when would I like the copy, I said now is good I have to get back to Bangkok today which was met with an 'Ah they normally want 7 days to get the copy' He told the reception girl it had to be done today and she was not happy.

It was only the doctors humor and out joint agreement with Thai logic that I paid. Still had to wait 3 hours for the copy.

I will NEVER use them again Bangkok Pattaya Hospital for me.

Edited February 28, 2010 by Para

[syd barrett]

I was admitted with severe abdominal pain, took them 7 hours of tests to work out I had gall stone problems.

If medical Doctors at the PIH cannot make a good diagnose of acute abdomen within minutes, then they deserve to be struck-off.

Even test results should have been returned in less than one hour.

Pathetic. What chance would a small child have if presented to PIH Doctors with a perforated appendix? In seven hours he/she would be dead.

Edited February 28, 2010 by syd barrett

[RabC]

I was admitted to BPH with Dengue that was diagnosed in less than 2 hours (waiting for blood test results). The old guy from across the road went to PIH 3 days later and it was nearly 4 days before they diagnosed dengue even though he told them someone in his soi had it........................ I believe they only have visiting consultants so people have to wait for the correct doctor and that also some of their lab work is contracted out.