Bangkok Hospital Samui

[duncanb]

I may be a little naive but a 4 day stay in hospital for chickenpox has just cost- Can you guess?????? 62,000 baht

I know private care is expensive but I feel they are taking th p*ss.

Zovirax was prescribed, the charge for a 2g cream was 2000 baht (they prescribed 3, so that came to 6000 baht), I went to the chemist it cost 400baht for 2g and 620 baht for a 5g tube.

Chlorpheniramine- BKK Saumi hospital 45 baht for 1- chemist .18 baht for 1 or 18 baht for 100

Aciclovir 170 baht for one tablet in BKK Samui or 110 baht in the pharmacy for 5 tablets

I know they are private profit making companies but when you pay for the room, nursing, doctors etc seperately and they then charge five times what a private profit making chemist charges I think they are profiteering

Stupid question but is there a regulator that regulates hospitals? Is there a body to complain to?

Any constructive thoughts would be appreciated

[JoePai]

B.H.S is renown for it's expense which is why some insurance companies shun it. 4 days/3 nights however for 62k is not unreasonable for that type of hospital.

Suggest you get health insurance :jap:

[stiggy]

Well most people go there as they feel its the best.

Chickenpox is not normally a full on emergency although its horrible, so im guessing you choose it as you also felt it was the best option.

Next time go to Nathon Goverment or Thai Inter or Bandon or Samui International Hospital.

All have differnt levels of care and service and of course prices.

Anyhow glad your better.

Edited July 2, 2011 by stiggy

[Sheryl]

There are regulatory bodies you can complain to about medical malpractice, but not about price.

Private hospitals are free to charge whatever the market will bear.

[NALAK]

seen as one of the best on the island but i found it the poorest medically wise, same in Pattaya Bangkok hospital. as already said some insurance companies will not aloow treatment there.

[NALAK]

B.H.S is renown for it's expense which is why some insurance companies shun it. 4 days/3 nights however for 62k is not unreasonable for that type of hospital.

Suggest you get health insurance :jap:

i would have thought 4k per night was adeqate for room charge, plus nursing but thats all this was plus some Aciclovir. seems way over the top, what was the break down on the bill?

[duncanb]

Thanks I think I get the message. You are sick, you go to the nearest hospital and if its BKK Samui you get screwed. As I said, I understand there is a fee for the room, Doctor, nursing.... but what I think is really off is charging 5 to 6 times (10 times for some) the price of medicines when you are already paying for medical services, this should be criminal

Hopefully someone will see this and when sick in Samui remember it. I certainly would not go there (the posting was not about me)

Mr "I suggest you get insurance". This was not about me, it was about someone else, and they had insurance. The attitude of I don't care about the cost because I have insurance results in increased insurance premiums for everyone to cover the inflated costs of this hospital and fund the lifestyles of the owner/s.

I was not impressed either by the standard of care

I would give a breakdown of the bill, but it ran into 3 pages, and when the price of the medicines are up to and over 6 times the market cost and alcohol gel is 300 baht and 4 saline drips, 4000 baht (total cost of medicine over 26000 baht), you can understand why the bill was such.

Its a learning experience,and thanks for the useful names of other hospitals.

The end

[sbk]

You can bargain. They overcharged my FIL (Thai btw) and he argued the price. It came down.

[wpcoe]

For future reference, for *take home* medications, politely decline the hospital pharmacy and ask for a list of meds that you need. I've never met resistance, even at the notorious Bangkok Hospital-Pattaya.

Keep in mind, however, that some medications, like opiates (codeine) can ONLY be filled by a hospital pharmacy. In that case, the hospital cashier has been nice enough to point out which ones I *needed* from their expensive pharmacy. In each case, it was verified at my local pharmacy.

Not sure there is a workaround for medication while you are inpatient, though.

[maccaroni man]

imo i do not think you will find any private hospital pharmacy that is less expensive or on par with an independant pharmacy which is why as an other posted i always refuse to purchase meds from them and ask for a prescription, typically the medical staff has been happy to ablige me because they do not agree with the pharmacy pricing either. I find the attitudes of people who come from countries with NHC is very different from mine concerning private pay. I have always used insurance or been in a private pay system. I have had friends admitted in nathorn, samui inter and thai inter and for me if i am going to be admitted i choose bkk as it is clean, modern and cost wise is not much more or on par with thai inter and it has the staff and equipment to care for me if there is a complication.

[chakatee]

"Thanks I think I get the message. You are sick, you go to the nearest hospital and if its BKK Samui you get screwed."

As another poster mentioned, next time go to Nathon Goverment or Thai Inter or Bandon or Samui International Hospital. After that experience you may be able to judge where you were screwed...

[Sheryl]

Actually if at all possible and if it is for anything more than say a few stitches, I would say go off the island altogether - the government provincial hospital in Surathani, or else up to Bangkok. Even with the airfare, it will probably prove less expensive than treatment in Samui.

The government hospital in Nathon is only a district level hospital so its capacities are limited. Fine for simple wound care but for much else you need to go to a higher level of care i.e. provincial hospital.

If there are any military hospitals in or around Surathani that would also be a good option, level of care in these is usually quite good and they do accept civilian patients.

[maxme]

come on Bangkok hospitals esp. in Touristy places whether Phuket or Samui are definitely overpriced. I was at Bangkok Phuket hospital and wasnt that impressed by both doctors and prices.

[champken]

As has been suggested, in future try a government hospital, they really are not that bad, OK you may have to wait a little longer to be seen but from my past experiences the doctors are every bit as competent as the ones you get in a private hospital and in some cases you will find that the very same doctor you see in a government hospital also moonlights at private hospitals

[smokie36]

Bit bemused as to why anyone checks themselves into a hospital with chickenpox. Better just to stay at home for a week.

[newtronbom]

You can bargain. They overcharged my FIL (Thai btw) and he argued the price. It came down.

Agreed sbk. They always quote the top dollar for those who may have insurance too, as it takes so long to get paid, another reason is the type of/quality of client they get. The ones I'm thinking of, pay double that for a single night at a hotel and think nothing of it. Like sbk says though, you can bargain and they will cut it down. Who cares if you loose a bit of face in front of of some overpaid nurses anyway! The bottom line though, for myself and many others(here in BKK anyway), is the quality of medical treatment I get, along with the quality of service I have always received there. I am sure I have visited every major hospital here in BKK, both government and private and not one even comes close to Bangkok Hospital! My wife had a double heart valve replacement 3 years ago. It cost near 3 times more than a government hospital, but she was in and out in 9 days and the surgery and after care service were and still are top quality. We were told at 2 government hospitals, to expect a 2 to 3 week recovery and that we would have to return in 10 years to have the valves replaced. The valves used at BKK are made in the US and have a lifetime warranty(just joking) but they are guaranteed to work longer than we will be around. The thought of going back in 10 years to have the same operation again, was well worth the extra cost in my mind alone.