Overbrook Hospital Tells Us:

[uk_falang]

My wife just had a lump cut out of her breat in overbrook, in an opetating theatre with about 30 other patients - no curtains.

Seems like a butchers shop to me - i know all the hospitals use the same doctors though.

It is a little bit more than hundred years ago that in the American town Overbrook money was collected to build a hospital for the 'heathens' of Chiang Rai (1903).

The Presbytarian Dr. Briggs, having the confidence of King Rama V, became its director.

And not only this, he became the highest official of Chiang Rai, built the Sala Klang Kao, Presbyterian churches and had roads made in this town.

Without Dr. Briggs Chiang Rai would not have looked as it does to-day.

(Anybode, Joel, knows if the CWK school originates from the same group?)

But back to the Overbrook Hospital in present days.

Rumors say that the enormeous investments which have been made during the last decade are related to Canadian interests.

It is very nice to notice that the people in charge of the hospital had the awareness not to offer the old hospital building to 'progress' as turbo-capitalism is called. It is not only still there, it is restored as well. It is, with the Sala Klang Kao, one of the few architectonial monuments in Chiang Rai.

Our compliments (and certainly great gratitude of future generations) to the Director and management of Overbrook Hospital.

The slogan 'God is Love' you still find on the little bags holding the not particular cheap medicin the doctors of the Overbrook describe you. Before it was written in big letters in the entrance and even your bills would remember you of this glorious fact.

My question now is, according to your experiences, did the Lord provide the Overbrook Hospital with better doctors, equipment and care than for instance the Kasemrad Sriburin Hospital? Or the Governmental Regional Hospital?

Or is the excellent image the hospital holds in the eyes of many Chiang Rai citizens based on the fact that it has the longest history and that the unsurpassable Dr. Ploum is at the helm of it?

Which hospital do you prefer and (if possible) why?

Limbo

[soap]

about 2 years ago my wife also had signs of a lump on the breast ,we went to see the doctor at overbrook who advised that the lump should be taken out and tested,has we were anxious to have this done as quickly as possible he told us to call back that afternoon when he removed the lump with a small operation my wife was the only one being operated on in the room. the next week we returned for the results,the same doctor who could speak perfect english told us the good news that the lump was non maligment and a couse of medicines would cure the problem ( whitch it did).

the fee for the operation was about 1,300 baht plus medicines i fear to think how many anxious months it would have taken in the uk

[CAPVet]

My granduncle, Dr. William Beach, and his wife, Elizabeth Wolfe Beach, were Doctor and Nurse at the Overbrook Hospital from approximately 1912 thru the mid 1940s. Does anyone have a picture of the original building mentioned on this forum?

I would like to add a picture of it to the web site I maintain for our family history:

http://www.capmarine.com/duffie/byfamily.htm#William%20H

Thanks......

[toybits]

I overheard a farang (probably a missionary) saying that there is DJ at the Overbrook hospital boadcasting the WORD of GOD over the hospital public address system. That, i think is a bit OVER the TOP.

It smacks of proselytization and disrespects other people's religion, in particular Buddhism.

If such a thing were to happen in the United States, such practice would immediately be noticed and probably banned - Especially if it was a non-christian religion.

This makes me angry! REALLY ANGRY!!! GRRRRRR!!!

It is a little bit more than hundred years ago that in the American town Overbrook money was collected to build a hospital for the 'heathens' of Chiang Rai (1903).

The Presbytarian Dr. Briggs, having the confidence of King Rama V, became its director.

And not only this, he became the highest official of Chiang Rai, built the Sala Klang Kao, Presbyterian churches and had roads made in this town.

Without Dr. Briggs Chiang Rai would not have looked as it does to-day.

(Anybode, Joel, knows if the CWK school originates from the same group?)

But back to the Overbrook Hospital in present days.

Rumors say that the enormeous investments which have been made during the last decade are related to Canadian interests.

It is very nice to notice that the people in charge of the hospital had the awareness not to offer the old hospital building to 'progress' as turbo-capitalism is called. It is not only still there, it is restored as well. It is, with the Sala Klang Kao, one of the few architectonial monuments in Chiang Rai.

Our compliments (and certainly great gratitude of future generations) to the Director and management of Overbrook Hospital.

The slogan 'God is Love' you still find on the little bags holding the not particular cheap medicin the doctors of the Overbrook describe you. Before it was written in big letters in the entrance and even your bills would remember you of this glorious fact.

My question now is, according to your experiences, did the Lord provide the Overbrook Hospital with better doctors, equipment and care than for instance the Kasemrad Sriburin Hospital? Or the Governmental Regional Hospital?

Or is the excellent image the hospital holds in the eyes of many Chiang Rai citizens based on the fact that it has the longest history and that the unsurpassable Dr. Ploum is at the helm of it?

Which hospital do you prefer and (if possible) why?

Limbo

[Joel Barlow]

To answer Limbo's question (though he's too disgusted with the forum to come here anymore), yes CWK (Chiangrai Wittayakom School) does originate with the same group - is Christian and old. They get missionary volunteers...

Sriburin does not use the same doctors as Overbrook. Same is true of CR Gen't (Ro-ban Thai). The doctors mostly have their own clinics, but do not go from hospital to hospital (at least not much, and never to my knowledge).

Overbrook is best for birthing. Sriburin for everything else. more expensive, sure...

Overbrook diagnosed my wife with a cancer the other 2 hospitals did not find.

Overbrook offers a 10% discount to professed Christians (with church membership, I think).

My two stays at Sriburin were quite pleasant - the shared rooms were to me better than a private one would have been. More distractions! Sriburin is new, therefor cleaner...

To my eye, the cuteness of nurses at the two places is about equal! At 'ro-ban Thai' you at least get a different overview of the local population...

there is, for those who choose to remember, a military hospital too...!

general scuttlebutt has been that the best doctors are at Ro-ban Thai. i cannot vouch for that. Certainly Dr Subin at Sriburin is good, but he has had to send me to Suan Dok CM for problems with a pinched nerve (he thought I needed a CAT scan and maybe a vertabrae removed, from auto accident 'whiplash' - fortunately, and quite, that was not at all the case - time healed my wounds!).

Suan Dok uses the same doctors as Ro-ban Ram, the expensive CM hospital, with truly gorgeous nurses...

[tayto]

To answer Limbo's question (though he's too disgusted with the forum to come here anymore), yes CWK (Chiangrai Wittayakom School) does originate with the same group - is Christian and old. They get missionary volunteers...

Sriburin does not use the same doctors as Overbrook. Same is true of CR Gen't (Ro-ban Thai). The doctors mostly have their own clinics, but do not go from hospital to hospital (at least not much, and never to my knowledge).

Overbrook is best for birthing. Sriburin for everything else. more expensive, sure...

Overbrook diagnosed my wife with a cancer the other 2 hospitals did not find.

Overbrook offers a 10% discount to professed Christians (with church membership, I think).

My two stays at Sriburin were quite pleasant - the shared rooms were to me better than a private one would have been. More distractions! Sriburin is new, therefor cleaner...

To my eye, the cuteness of nurses at the two places is about equal! At 'ro-ban Thai' you at least get a different overview of the local population...

there is, for those who choose to remember, a military hospital too...!

general scuttlebutt has been that the best doctors are at Ro-ban Thai. i cannot vouch for that. Certainly Dr Subin at Sriburin is good, but he has had to send me to Suan Dok CM for problems with a pinched nerve (he thought I needed a CAT scan and maybe a vertabrae removed, from auto accident 'whiplash' - fortunately, and quite, that was not at all the case - time healed my wounds!).

Suan Dok uses the same doctors as Ro-ban Ram, the expensive CM hospital, with truly gorgeous nurses...

Maybe Thai visa was disgusted with him.

Anyway, I found Overbrook and Sriburin both are rip offs especially with medicines, being 0ver 5 times the price of the local Chiang Rai hospital.

Chiang Rai hospital's VIP room is much superior to either Overbrook or Sriburin , the service might be a bit slower but the equipment is all modern and your bill will be at least half of the other two hospitals.

[lukamar]

Suan Dok uses the same doctors as Ro-ban Ram, the expensive CM hospital, with truly gorgeous nurses...

They actually use entire surgical teams from Suan Dok (also known as Maharajah and CMU) at all the private CM hospitals even the ICU staff is brought from CMU for private rooms. It's a teaching hospital and as such is very much up on what's going on in all the fields. Although I haven't been in the ICU's at the private hospitals the ones (general, CVT and Neuro) at CMu are really good - modern, well equipped, superior staff and exceptionally clean. They are as good and even better than some I have been at in Canada.

As a note - if you have to have heart surgery go to CMU the Coronary team there is exceptional and the head of the Department was trained and worked in Texas for many years before coming back to Thailand to work and teach.

I for one miss limbo's input6 no matter what the situation is.

Edited June 28, 2007 by lukamar

[Limbo]

Thanks CAPVet, for your great contribution!

I hope you don't mind that I forwarded the photo of your granduncle to a local museum.

If you have more photo's of old Chiang Rai, please give me notice by PM or e-mail.

These are the only photos of the old building that I have at the moment (taken about six months ago).

Greetings,

Limbo

[jumnien]

Well, I guess the world will be a better place when those God is Love plastic bags are destroyed along with those sillly buddhas in the taxis and buses and those Jews take those annoying Star of Davids off and those tailors remove their turbans and all evidence of any spiritual beliefs are purified from our lives!

[tayto]

Well, I guess the world will be a better place when those God is Love plastic bags are destroyed along with those sillly buddhas in the taxis and buses and those Jews take those annoying Star of Davids off and those tailors remove their turbans and all evidence of any spiritual beliefs are purified from our lives!

AMEN

[Limbo]

My granduncle, Dr. William Beach, and his wife, Elizabeth Wolfe Beach, were Doctor and Nurse at the Overbrook Hospital from approximately 1912 thru the mid 1940s. Does anyone have a picture of the original building mentioned on this forum?

There are pictures of the home inhabited by Dr. Beach and his family at the Church of Christ Archives located at Payap University.

Please e-mail me for more information.

Limbo

[Limbo]

Dear CAPVet,

On one picture we see Dr. Ploum, the present director, receive out of the hands of HRH Princess Sirindhorn a Certificate of Appreciation for the way he had the restoration of the old Overbrook Hospital done (about six years ago).

Nothing got demolished and everything was brought back into its old shape. Only the color blue was changed into green. The hospital is now one of the few monuments of Chiang Rai (1910).

It's now used for the administration of the, in the mean time, much bigger hospital.

The ground floor housed the doctor's rooms, the pharmacy and the administration (later a room for the radiologist was added), the upper floor the patient rooms of which a bigger one, in the middle, was used for the children patients.

This bigger room is now used every morning by the Christian staff (about 40 %) to say a prayer before work. In this room the portraits are hanging with all the doctors (directors) of the hospital.

The picture shows the three first of which your granduncle might be the second. At the left you see the founder, Dr. Briggs. The fourth, not on the picture, was Japanese, the year was 1941.

With kind regards,

Limbo

[Ajarn]

I went to Overbrook a few months ago and spent the night.

I thought overall that the staff was excellent and the care was good.

My deluxe room was not expensive and my doctor spoke enough English.

But....

When the time came to check out, I wasn't allowed to leave without paying my bill in full. I had to borrow money from a friend on the spot just to leave the place.

Most Farang that live here know that, but I was new and didn't.

Thailand is generally not diligent about having English posted more clearly and having staff around that speak English. That was very frustrating. They ignored my pleas for someone that could help me, spoke over me and took the money from my Thai friend.

But the problem is systemic. Thailand is low on the list of English competency in Asia. And Overbrook hospital, although full of wonderful people, could use more people that speak English and more sensitivity to this critical shortcoming.

Perhaps God can teach them English?

Your entire rant came about because they did not want you to leave before they were paid...Na'?

Maybe your expectations are to high for this country, or any other I can think of.. Who would want you leave without paying them first? Without insurance, nobody.

In my opinion and observation, the English spolen currently is much greater than just a few years ago, and they're getting better quite fast... If you are so interested, why not offer to teach them? That is the hardest part for many- getting decent English training...

Or you can learn some basic Thai...

[goski]

I second Ajarn thoughts and add that it must surely be a native of the English language that has opinions in which locals in a foreign country must learn English (in order to serve him as a guest) rather than learning the local language himself. It's pretty arrogant and even to consider living in a foreign country without trying to know local language and culture (of which the latter you need understanding of the first) is pretty pointless.

[MrOzark]

Responding to a post from December of 2005?

I'm with you two. Let's chide someone about

a post from 2002!

Listen closely and you can hear me laughing

from far beyond the Thai borders.....

If I were in a life or death situation and

had to make it to a hospital in Thailand again...

I'd go to Russia.

[goski]

You don't have to go that far! Russian doctors can be caught not too far from Pattaya bay.

[lukamar]

If I were in a life or death situation and

had to make it to a hospital in Thailand again...

I'd go to Russia.

Perhaps you could find a TukTuk to take you there before your demise. In a life and death situation anyone with any first aid knowledge is a god sent.

[tayto]

If I were in a life or death situation and

had to make it to a hospital in Thailand again...

I'd go to Russia.

Perhaps you could find a TukTuk to take you there before your demise. In a life and death situation anyone with any first aid knowledge is a god sent.

as long as he's not a bible trumper.

now say after me" our father who art in...........................................................................

now you can be saved

Edited July 2, 2007 by tayto

[MrOzark]

OK, ok. points well taken.

But I wonder if it would be asking too much of the

embedded farang - the true believers in farangdom

and the many glories that has to offer...

What if Overbrook were to convert to Russian Orthodox?

As long as there weren't any slogans on the bags -

not even in Russian. They could just say:

Have a Nice Day.

But now I've quit the Popular People's front and have

joined the People's Front of Judea.

But I don't think they would contribute to Overbrook.

I'll ask.

[Limbo]

Absolutely true, but I was looking for the number of the dental clinic of the Sriburin on google and then I suddenly arrived at this thread.

Does everybody degree with the assumption that this clinic is a very good alternative to the other clinics in town?

Limbo

[TyGrr]

I will never use Overbrook Hospital again. I was extremely over charged and my new born son was subjected to many unneeded tests. I was told he was seriously sick but it turned out to be gas! Id die in the street before I going back...

[bsacbob]

I will never use Overbrook Hospital again. I was extremely over charged and my new born son was subjected to many unneeded tests. I was told he was seriously sick but it turned out to be gas! Id die in the street before I going back...

Sorry to here about your son, we have always used the Sriburin with our 3 year old and never had any issue's, i myself have just had a few days in Overbrook and have to say apart from the doctor the level of service was pretty poor and if you not a Thai speaker anything beyond yes or no answers are a marathon with the nurses and staff.

[JAG]

My daughter was born in the Overbrook. Best Beloved taken there after serious accident a couple of years ago. In all cases a first class service, medical and domestic. When she was taken there after her accident, the doctor called me in the UK when she came round after the initial surgery, to brief me on her condition, and the switchboard even managed to connect me to her bedside phone! Try getting that in a UK hospital!

On costs, when I went to pay bill after Daughter was born, the young lady in the cashiers office asked me if I was a christian, as"Christian have discount". I answered yes, she asked what church, I told her, "Oh no, Catholic no discount!"

[mcgriffith]

On costs, when I went to pay bill after Daughter was born, the young lady in the cashiers office asked me if I was a christian, as"Christian have discount". I answered yes, she asked what church, I told her, "Oh no, Catholic no discount!"

Maybe Anglicans/Church of England/Episcopalians get 1/2 of the discount...?

[lannaman]

I've had a couple of minor ops at the Overbrook and have great faith in the excellent surgeon Dr. Narrish, he's Indian-Thai and his charming wife is a doctor there too. My step-son had his appendix out 2 weeks ago, again by Dr. N. I don't think he works in other hospitals although I might be wrong. Also he as good as saved my life last year when I had severe bleeding in the stomach. This was caused my taking ibaprofein on an empty stomach for a stubbed toe! Be warned!

I admit that the drugs are very overpriced, I always check the prescription order and if they've ordered say Paracetamol I tell the pharmisist, "MY OW", and buy it outside. All hospitals here prescribe anti-biotics for very minor issues such as tooth extraction, quite unnecessary so again it's,"MY OW".

[chang35baht]

I would have thought that a short course of antibiotics would be wise to guard against infection. I could be wrong of course.

C35B.

Edited January 16, 2010 by chang35baht

[cmjantje]

Anti biotics kill your immune system. So be very carefull with them. If you take too many times you will get sicker far more easy!

@Lannaman: I think you mean "Ibuprofen"? Better take Diclofenac, less prolems with the stomac especially the "retard" capsules. I should know because I take this medicine already more than 40 years because of my spondilytis.

[boris52]

the new bags dont say "GOD IS LOVE"

its now even cheesier - they say "WE PRESCRIBE MEDICINE BUT JESUS CHRIST IS THE HEALER"

i almost physically sick when i read that

[Limbo]

the new bags dont say "GOD IS LOVE"

its now even cheesier - they say "WE PRESCRIBE MEDICINE BUT JESUS CHRIST IS THE HEALER"

i almost physically sick when i read that

Watch your words!

My sister was a Catholic nun for thirty years before she became a normal lesbian.

So in a way the Lord Himself has been my brother in law!

Limbo

[mcgriffith]

Hey, no problem.

I was baptized as an Episcopalian.

Followed the Buddhist path most of my life.

It was very interesting to me that on a recent visit to the US when I visited my family, that my 81 yr old mother, who was an avid church goer her whole life, disclosed that she doesn't do it any more. Meaning she doesn't go to church, anymore. I don't think she was quite saying that she doesn't believe....just that she doesn't see the value in the pomp and circumstance, the ritual, etc.

To each their own.

I think one can connect to the Higher Power, whatever name one ascribes....without going through any hierarchal intermediary.

Just my 25 satang.