Pregnancy Costs

[randymarsh]

Hello,

Some of you might have seen my other thread - my thai girlfriend is pregnant and I'm wondering what the usual costs are in Thailand for monthly examinations up to and including the point of having the baby.

I know I could ask her but I'd like to get some information from people who have been through it.

Guessing the costs might vary depending on insurance / each hospital etc? If so, would appreciate a breakdown of each and we can assume she doesn't have insurance if that makes it easier.

Thanks

Edited April 22, 2012 by randymarsh

[brit1984]

My wife is 5 months in with our second kid and she has had a couple of check-ups... both were very cheap (can't remember exactly how much but less than 10k total so far)... the birth will be around 60k I think + extras for any complications... this is all at Bangkok Christian Hospital, which might be cheaper than other hospitals

[randymarsh]

Thanks. Is there such a thing as free health care in Thailand?

Edited April 22, 2012 by randymarsh

[brit1984]

Thanks. Is there such a thing as free health care in Thailand?

They have government hospitals that are free (or nearly free) but from my experience the private hospitals are very cheap too - don't worry

[randymarsh]

Double post.

Edited April 22, 2012 by randymarsh

[randymarsh]

Ok thanks. It's really just to get an idea. Problem is I'm in UK and probably won't be over there much, if at all, before she has the baby so I'm wondering how much she's gonna start asking me for.

60k to have the baby sounds a lot to be honest but if that's the price then sobeit.

[brit1984]

Ok thanks. It's really just to get an idea. Problem is I'm in UK and probably won't be over there much, if at all, before she has the baby so I'm wondering how much she's gonna start asking me for.

60k to have the baby sounds a lot to be honest but if that's the price then sobeit.

The 60k includes a (small) private room - I am sure she could do it for much less on a ward - depends on your girlfriend's preferences

[dave111223]

Here are some ideas of costs; the costs before delivery are pretty minimum.

• Monthly check at private hospital: 500-1,000
  
• Ultrasound (probably 2-4 times): 1,000-2,000 (3D ultrasound might be more)
  
• Natural delivery at private hospital: 40,000-60,000
  Add about 20,000 for C-Section
  

That delivery cost will cover everything (room, food, drugs, etc..for normally 3-4 days) But will not cover any complications obviously.

I had a friend have a baby recently at a (highly recommended) public hospital, it was in my opinion about 100X worse than the private hospital we used, i would not dream of having a baby there.

[randymarsh]

Her preferences will be as expensive as possible. Thanks for the advice

[David48]

Hi there (again) Randy.

My girl and I are looking at parenthood and will be having the bub in Thailand.

I'll ask the girl to give some recent prices from her Thai friends soon but ...

But ... what's wrong with a public hospital?

Thousands of Thais use them every year.

The Infant mortality rate is approaching that of the UK (see http://www.indexmund...h#country=th:gb )

Maybe it the case that she considers herself to 'Posh to Push' and wants to use the 'express way' (caesarean) as the Thai call it.

Most likely she just wants an expensive private hospital to show how high in social stature she has become with a Farang Boyfriend.

Grow a set and be a man ... if you are paying then you decide.

Cough ... don't forget the DNA test.

Edited April 23, 2012 by David48

[David48]

Read Post #2 in this thread ...

"Just recently had a baby as well"

Maybe PM the poster and ask them about costs.

[David48]

and go into this thread ... show-your-half-asian-baby

Just PM some of the posters there as they all have had babies recently and I am sure that many of them are in Thailand so you can get an idea on costs AND advice on what and what not to do.

Maybe you could reply here with what you discovered.

[jingjoe8]

6months old and a happy healthy boy

we had our son last year in october,we visited a clinic once a month for ultrasounds and check ups no more than 500bht each visit,our doctor recommended we have our baby in the local public hospital,banglamung,he said babies born everyday no need for private!! We paid 30bht for the birth and then we booked a private room for two days,it was fully kitted out with separate lounge,flatscreen tv,fridge and coffee maker,private bathroom.

The nurses showed us how to do all the new baby things,like bath,change nappies etc,total cost for private room was 1100bht per day and we both got three meals a day

[BuddhistDruid]

Ok thanks. It's really just to get an idea. Problem is I'm in UK and probably won't be over there much, if at all, before she has the baby so I'm wondering how much she's gonna start asking me for.

60k to have the baby sounds a lot to be honest but if that's the price then sobeit.

Do keep in mind that 60k is a for a basic, everything normal pregnancy. It is actually fairly inexpensive. If anything goes wrong and you require an NICU, you can anticipate spending more than that every day in a private hospital. My twins were premature and in the NICU for about 2 weeks, and then in the general ward for another 2. At a private hospital my bill would have been close to 4 million baht. And most Thai insurance plans do not cover maternity, except for the most expensive ones and then it is usually a rider.

It is unlikely you will have a problem, but do think through what you are going to do if it happens. Letting the child die isn't an option. The hospital will save the child and they will bill your girlfriend for it. And then they will hound her for years to get payment. She will never be able to own a house or assets in her name, because they will be in danger of being seized by the courts.

Again, low probability, but not zero probability. She could ask you for your life savings and more. As it gets closer to the delivery date, if it looks like it will be a high risk pregnancy and you don't have a spare million or two handy, you may want to consider a government hospital where she can use her universal coverage and get it for free. Choosing Chulalongkorn over a more prestigious hospital saved me from bankruptcy.

[jingjoe8]

Ok thanks. It's really just to get an idea. Problem is I'm in UK and probably won't be over there much, if at all, before she has the baby so I'm wondering how much she's gonna start asking me for.

60k to have the baby sounds a lot to be honest but if that's the price then sobeit.

Do keep in mind that 60k is a for a basic, everything normal pregnancy. It is actually fairly inexpensive. If anything goes wrong and you require an NICU, you can anticipate spending more than that every day in a private hospital. My twins were premature and in the NICU for about 2 weeks, and then in the general ward for another 2. At a private hospital my bill would have been close to 4 million baht. And most Thai insurance plans do not cover maternity, except for the most expensive ones and then it is usually a rider.

It is unlikely you will have a problem, but do think through what you are going to do if it happens. Letting the child die isn't an option. The hospital will save the child and they will bill your girlfriend for it. And then they will hound her for years to get payment. She will never be able to own a house or assets in her name, because they will be in danger of being seized by the courts.

Again, low probability, but not zero probability. She could ask you for your life savings and more. As it gets closer to the delivery date, if it looks like it will be a high risk pregnancy and you don't have a spare million or two handy, you may want to consider a government hospital where she can use her universal coverage and get it for free. Choosing Chulalongkorn over a more prestigious hospital saved me from bankruptcy.

These were all the things i was worried about as well,i was quite prepared to pay the higher costs for private,but the doctor from the clinic we used which was recommended via word of mouth,told us that the local govt hospitals use the same doctors as private,plus most babies will be delivered by a nurse and midwife and a doctor only used for emergency situations

.

This is exactly what happened for us a doctor went around to all the women giving birth too make sure there were no complications,and then the ones that had no forseeable problems were monitored by a nurse.

This was my first child and its a scary event,all the scaremongers frightened the hell out of me with all the things that can go wrong,but no matter where you have the birth the care will be top notch as its probably the most common medical procedure.

If your wife is thai there are no costs for giving birth apart from the standard 30bht no matter what goes wrong,tell your partner you will pay for the VIP PRIVATE ROOM for post birth recovery this will keep her happy and will only set you back a few thousand baht.

Make sure she finds a good local clinic for the monthly ultrasounds and checkups as well, shouldn't be more than 500bht a visit

[dave111223]

I wouldn't worry too much about the people saying it's going to cost you millions...

Our youngest was born at Bangkok Hospital in Hua Hin (nice private hospital). They said she had jaundice and had to be put into a special UV light box thing for 3 additional days (which was not covered by the basic package)....but it only added about 10K total to the bill (not sure how the heck you'd manage to get to 60K per day!)

[David48]

jingjoe8 (post#15) ... I want to thank you for the reply, even though I'm not the OP!

Hopefully one day soon I will be faced with the same question and you have given me one of the answers that I was looking for.

Thanks ...

[brit1984]

I think it is worth remembering that the real "pregnancy costs" are borne by the mother (regardless of whether they contribute financially)

Anything we (fathers) can do to make the pregnancy and birth less painful (or more pleasurable) is worth every penny (or baht)

[jingjoe8]

jingjoe8 (post#15) ... I want to thank you for the reply, even though I'm not the OP!

Hopefully one day soon I will be faced with the same question and you have given me one of the answers that I was looking for.

Thanks ...

My pleasure david,i would just like to had one more thing to be wary of,thai doctors tend to over medicate,i'm not sure if its a money making thing or its the way they are trained on one occasion,we took our son into a private hospital with an elevated temperature(mostly to make my wife feel better)i was hoping the dr would just give us some paracetamol and maybe some antibiotics,but no,they wanted a full chest xray,and then an overnight stay,plus putting him on an i.v. drip,6 attempts and couldn't find a vein for drip.the next day after no sleep for us or our 5month old they wanted us to stay another night,i just said no ,signed a release and left.Don't be afraid to ask the doctors questions and challenge there diagnosis.

Also with the pregnancy the nurses were surprised we werent opting for a caesaraen,but no need for it unless the baby is breached or has other complications

[negreanu]

Samitivej when left was around 100k for the bill. (C section, drugs, 4 days private room)

Edited April 27, 2012 by negreanu

[David48]

jingjoe8 (post#15) ... I want to thank you for the reply, even though I'm not the OP!

Hopefully one day soon I will be faced with the same question and you have given me one of the answers that I was looking for.

Thanks ...

My pleasure david,i would just like to had one more thing to be wary of,thai doctors tend to over medicate,i'm not sure if its a money making thing or its the way they are trained on one occasion,we took our son into a private hospital with an elevated temperature(mostly to make my wife feel better)i was hoping the dr would just give us some paracetamol and maybe some antibiotics,but no,they wanted a full chest xray,and then an overnight stay,plus putting him on an i.v. drip,6 attempts and couldn't find a vein for drip.the next day after no sleep for us or our 5month old they wanted us to stay another night,i just said no ,signed a release and left.Don't be afraid to ask the doctors questions and challenge there diagnosis.

Also with the pregnancy the nurses were surprised we werent opting for a caesaraen,but no need for it unless the baby is breached or has other complications

Hi there jingjoe8 I very much appreciate the additional comments.

Could I extend your favour to one more request?

Eventually this tread will drop into cyber oblivion but the pinned thread on babies and hospitals won't ...

http://www.thaivisa....l/page__st__100

Maybe cut and paste a lot of what you have written already to save some time.

I am sure your thoughts will be well considered.

Thanks in Advance

David48

EDIT:- BuddhistDruid ... extending that invitation to you also if you have the time.

Edited April 27, 2012 by David48

[Maiwenn]

Our first baby is due in about 10 days. I've done all my check ups at the local public hospital, where I'm covered by the Thai social security system. For every monthly visit we pay around 150 baht (including iron and vitamin pills). The ultrasound checks were 400 baht. All this should be reimbursed later though.

We've decided to have the delivery in the same hospital. We don't have a car, so it's not convenient for us to go to the nearest city (Chiang Mai). And doctors who operate at the private hospital here are the same as at the public one. Of course it's more fashionable at the private one, but we really don't care. So, not knowing whether it's worth the money, we prefer to go where we know the place and where we're already known.

Natural birth at the public hospital should be around 12,000 baht (covered by social security), add a few thousands for a ceasarian. Then there are a few options: you can book your favourite doctor to make sure s/he will there for the delivery, this is 3000 baht. A private room is 1000 baht/night. This is not option for me, there is no way I'll share a room with 30 other women, but Thais seem to like it, it's been recommended to us a couple of times (even by the nurses)

[mike123ca]

Our first baby is due in about 10 days. I've done all my check ups at the local public hospital, where I'm covered by the Thai social security system. For every monthly visit we pay around 150 baht (including iron and vitamin pills). The ultrasound checks were 400 baht. All this should be reimbursed later though.

We've decided to have the delivery in the same hospital. We don't have a car, so it's not convenient for us to go to the nearest city (Chiang Mai). And doctors who operate at the private hospital here are the same as at the public one. Of course it's more fashionable at the private one, but we really don't care. So, not knowing whether it's worth the money, we prefer to go where we know the place and where we're already known.

Natural birth at the public hospital should be around 12,000 baht (covered by social security), add a few thousands for a ceasarian. Then there are a few options: you can book your favourite doctor to make sure s/he will there for the delivery, this is 3000 baht. A private room is 1000 baht/night. This is not option for me, there is no way I'll share a room with 30 other women, but Thais seem to like it, it's been recommended to us a couple of times (even by the nurses)

Our first baby is due in about 10 days. I've done all my check ups at the local public hospital, where I'm covered by the Thai social security system. For every monthly visit we pay around 150 baht (including iron and vitamin pills). The ultrasound checks were 400 baht. All this should be reimbursed later though.

We've decided to have the delivery in the same hospital. We don't have a car, so it's not convenient for us to go to the nearest city (Chiang Mai). And doctors who operate at the private hospital here are the same as at the public one. Of course it's more fashionable at the private one, but we really don't care. So, not knowing whether it's worth the money, we prefer to go where we know the place and where we're already known.

Natural birth at the public hospital should be around 12,000 baht (covered by social security), add a few thousands for a ceasarian. Then there are a few options: you can book your favourite doctor to make sure s/he will there for the delivery, this is 3000 baht. A private room is 1000 baht/night. This is not option for me, there is no way I'll share a room with 30 other women, but Thais seem to like it, it's been recommended to us a couple of times (even by the nurses)

My wife was the same as above except she had a c-section at the govt hospital in Ubon Ratchathani. Her insurance and Govt hospital came out to 15,000 baht.

[TommoPhysicist]

Had one last year in a government hospital, costs were

Pregnancy test free

Blood test for me (HIV, Hepatitis, Thalassemia, one more) 250bht, her free

Monthly checkups free

Ultrasound free

Vitamin supplements for her 30bht per month for 5 months

Delivery free

Three nights in a private room @ 1000bht per night (very similar to a condo, balcony, fridge, cable tv, air-con, sofa bed for me)

Total cost under 3,500bht

Ongoing care for the kid, couple of home visits, monthly hospital visits, vaccinations, vitamin supplements, all free

Forget private hospitals, government hospitals do a very good job for almost nothing.

Please note:

The previous poster Maiwenn seems to be using a private health insurance in a government hospital, so essentially going private using a government hospital. Pointless as far as I can see.

Edited April 29, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[Maiwenn]

Please note:

The previous poster Maiwenn seems to be using a private health insurance in a government hospital, so essentially going private using a government hospital. Pointless as far as I can see.

As I'm employed by a governement school, I'm under the Thai social security system, I wasn't given any choice. Can foreigners benefit from the 30 baht system? It's true I could have chosen a private hospital as my official hospital. But then, the social security wouldn't have covered all the delivery costs, so it's not totally pointless, is it? Well, what's done is done anyway...

[khunPer]

Had a baby with my GF here (six years ago, so prices may have increased a bit).

Monthly check at private clinic, including ultrasound scan and vitamins, around 500 baht.

Cesarian at publich hospital, including private VIP-room and everything, nearly 12.000 baht. Very good service. (We only paid all, as my GF was moving under the employer health care system, and we could claim payment back, when she got the new card, which we never did.)

[TommoPhysicist]

Please note:

The previous poster Maiwenn seems to be using a private health insurance in a government hospital, so essentially going private using a government hospital. Pointless as far as I can see.

As I'm employed by a governement school, I'm under the Thai social security system, I wasn't given any choice. Can foreigners benefit from the 30 baht system? It's true I could have chosen a private hospital as my official hospital. But then, the social security wouldn't have covered all the delivery costs, so it's not totally pointless, is it? Well, what's done is done anyway...

The 30bht system no longer exists, my wife is Thai and all necessary medical treatment for her is free at the government hospital, including childbirth.

Optional items like vitamins and private rooms cost money, but not a lot.

As a foreigner I have to pay for all my treatment.

Interesting to see your government insurance scheme is more expensive than I pay as a foreigner in a government hospital.

[Maiwenn]

A couple of years ago I had surgery. It costed 12,000 baht, but everything was covered by the social security. As a foreigner without it you would have had to pay... And in the baby case, we expect almost all costs to be covered as well, the only thing is we have to pay first, get money back later (this depends on the hospitals, I don't know exactly how it works)

[BuddhistDruid]

I wouldn't worry too much about the people saying it's going to cost you millions...

Our youngest was born at Bangkok Hospital in Hua Hin (nice private hospital). They said she had jaundice and had to be put into a special UV light box thing for 3 additional days (which was not covered by the basic package)....but it only added about 10K total to the bill (not sure how the heck you'd manage to get to 60K per day!)

Jaundice is quite common, and only requires a simply UV treatment done in the general ward. The thing that will drive up your bill into the millions of baht range is requiring an NICU bed, which at a good private hospital is on the order of 40k per day. Plus whatever treatments are required. An NICU is common when a baby is born premature, as my twins were.

Ok thanks. It's really just to get an idea. Problem is I'm in UK and probably won't be over there much, if at all, before she has the baby so I'm wondering how much she's gonna start asking me for.

60k to have the baby sounds a lot to be honest but if that's the price then sobeit.

Do keep in mind that 60k is a for a basic, everything normal pregnancy. It is actually fairly inexpensive. If anything goes wrong and you require an NICU, you can anticipate spending more than that every day in a private hospital. My twins were premature and in the NICU for about 2 weeks, and then in the general ward for another 2. At a private hospital my bill would have been close to 4 million baht. And most Thai insurance plans do not cover maternity, except for the most expensive ones and then it is usually a rider.

It is unlikely you will have a problem, but do think through what you are going to do if it happens. Letting the child die isn't an option. The hospital will save the child and they will bill your girlfriend for it. And then they will hound her for years to get payment. She will never be able to own a house or assets in her name, because they will be in danger of being seized by the courts.

Again, low probability, but not zero probability. She could ask you for your life savings and more. As it gets closer to the delivery date, if it looks like it will be a high risk pregnancy and you don't have a spare million or two handy, you may want to consider a government hospital where she can use her universal coverage and get it for free. Choosing Chulalongkorn over a more prestigious hospital saved me from bankruptcy.

These were all the things i was worried about as well,i was quite prepared to pay the higher costs for private,but the doctor from the clinic we used which was recommended via word of mouth,told us that the local govt hospitals use the same doctors as private,plus most babies will be delivered by a nurse and midwife and a doctor only used for emergency situations

.

This is exactly what happened for us a doctor went around to all the women giving birth too make sure there were no complications,and then the ones that had no forseeable problems were monitored by a nurse.

This was my first child and its a scary event,all the scaremongers frightened the hell out of me with all the things that can go wrong,but no matter where you have the birth the care will be top notch as its probably the most common medical procedure.

If your wife is thai there are no costs for giving birth apart from the standard 30bht no matter what goes wrong,tell your partner you will pay for the VIP PRIVATE ROOM for post birth recovery this will keep her happy and will only set you back a few thousand baht.

Make sure she finds a good local clinic for the monthly ultrasounds and checkups as well, shouldn't be more than 500bht a visit

I would like to add one more piece of information to this good advice. This may only be valuable for those who expect a high risk pregnancy. The universal healthcare system, or gold card, only allows you to have the birth at your registered government hospital. For most births this will make absolutely no difference to you, as is pointed out above the care is quite sufficient everywhere. However, when you move into the high risk area, all government hospitals are not created equal. In particular, government hospitals associated with a university are almost always of a much higher caliber than a general provincial hospital. Chulalongkorn and Siriraj in Bangkok in particular stand out as 2 of the highest quality government hospitals in Thailand. The problem you may face though, is that if these are not your registered hospitals for the universal care system, you can't go there for the birth.

If you are truly concerned however and don't mind spending a little bit of money, you can still go to one of the best government hospitals for the delivery. You will, of course, have to pay cash for the actual birth, but the rates at government hospitals, even top notch government hospitals, are not horrific. When your child is born and if he/she needs an NICU, you will still be on a cash basis. While your wife is in the hospital, the child is also under your wife's account, so you will pay his/her bills as well. However, as soon as your wife checks out, the baby becomes a patient in his/her own right. At that point, the baby is covered under the universal healthcare system, and you can switch the terms so that all future costs are free. In an emergency, which an infant in the NICU clearly qualifies for, the universal care scheme covers you at any participating hospital. Thus, you may have a day or 2 where you have to pay cash, but as soon as the mother is well enough to leave, your baby can stay without incurring additional fees.

For those who are truly can't cover the costs if something goes wrong, but are concerned about the care they would get at their local provincial hospital, this is a way to get better quality without the bills getting out of hand.

[David48]

BuddhistDruid ... truely an excellent post above ...

Could I warmly suggest that you add your comments to the pinned (but not locked) thread above ... having-a-baby-in-thai-hospital because one day this tread will be deeply buried in cyberspace, but the pinned thread will be there for all to see.