Costs Of Taking Sick Baby To Hospital

[Gumballl]

My baby daughter was recently sick with a 40C fever, and my Thai wife took her to the hospital in Korat. After the doctor examined my daughter and prescribed the meds to relieve her symptoms, my wife was charged 2800 Baht for the visit.

Is this amount typical? Based on how "fragile" children are, do you recommend that I purchase health insurance? If so, what are the yearly costs for such?

P.S. The doctor concluded that my daughter was suffering from the flu.

[lopburi3]

That is an extremely high price for a flu visit. There should be a cost for drugs, hospital and doctor on must bills. Doctor should be in the 150-500 baht range - perhaps 50 baht or so for medical charge (hospital) and then the medications. A first class hospital total charge would probably average about 1,000 baht total. A clinic charge with drugs under 500 baht. Did she receive Tamiflu by any chance? The charge is way high for normal prescriptions/doctor visit.

As for insurance believe it is relatively inexpensive but also full of limitations. That said it is probably worth having. Have no idea of the price range.

[billd766]

When our son got sick last year a couple of times, we first took him to the hospital at Khampaeng Phet about 60 km from where we live in the countryside.

They had a childrens area and also 24 hour cover with childrens doctors and nurses. The cost was about 1,000 baht a day including a private room, a/c etc.

As it was a long way we moved him to the local local hospital about 12 km away which was cheaper but there was no dedicated childrens wards or childrens doctors and nurses. This was not good so we moved him back to KP.

The next 2 times we took him back to Nakhon Sawan to the hospital where he was born about 125km away. They also had a childrens area and 24 hour cover with childrens doctors and nurses. The cost was about 750 baht a day including a private room, a/c etc, plus they knew him anyway from before.

This is where we will always take him now. His mother stays with him all the time and the family take turns to come and see him on a daily basis and I go most days.

It is a PITA to drive the 250km daily but it is worth it because of the staff and treatment he gets.

Hopefully at 18 months now he will be going less often especially as the winter cough and cold season is almost over and by next year he shoulod have built up a bit of immunity to a lot of the bugs.

I am 61 and he is my 2nd son (the first is 28 this year and is UK) and my wife is now 40 and he is her only child so she tends to worry a bit more than me.

Yes I still change his pampers and bath him in readiness for 10 to 15 years time when it will be his turn to look after me.

Oh sweet revenge.

[Neeranam]

Samitivej hospital on Sukhvit 49 is great.

We tried Bamrungrad as we got discount for having had the birth there.

I hate to say it but bamrungrad kids bit is quite good.

[think_too_mut]

My baby daughter was recently sick with a 40C fever, and my Thai wife took her to the hospital in Korat. After the doctor examined my daughter and prescribed the meds to relieve her symptoms, my wife was charged 2800 Baht for the visit.

Is this amount typical? Based on how "fragile" children are, do you recommend that I purchase health insurance? If so, what are the yearly costs for such?

P.S. The doctor concluded that my daughter was suffering from the flu.

Same symptoms, 39 temperature, 990Baht at the Samitivej in BKK.

They are known as an expensive hospital.

Edit:

An hospital, Kluaynamtai, not a government one, at the repeat of the same sickness charged us 280 baht for the same attention. Well, the wait was longer.

We went there because it is a walking distance and the issue was pretty simple.

They even told us it's normal when the baby is having her teeth growing.

Edited February 1, 2006 by think_too_mut

[Gumballl]

Thanks for your post everyone. I will mention this to my wife so that she will not be fooled again. Our daughter is our first child.

[meadish_sweetball]

GF got treated for extreme flu symptoms at Chiang Mai Ram 1 two days ago. The bill ended up at 1864 baht. When you get prescribed non-generic European or US medication the bill can get pretty stiff.

[beleby]

When our baby was sick with an infection we took him to Phaya Thai 3 on Phet Kasem and ended up paying in excess of 20, 000 for two nights in a private room. The service was first cl;ass buit with all teh extra medications on top, the bill was very high.

These places must make a killing.

[billd766]

When our baby was sick with an infection we took him to Phaya Thai 3 on Phet Kasem and ended up paying in excess of 20, 000 for two nights in a private room. The service was first cl;ass buit with all teh extra medications on top, the bill was very high.

These places must make a killing.

That is an outrageous price.

I wonder if they get many repeat visits.

We paid less than 1500 for 2 nights in the hospital where our son was born, granted it is in Nakhon Sawan, but the staff are very good and the treatment was good as well.

Just a thought for anybody, think how much it will cost if you go for example to Phaya Thai 3 hospital and spend a couple of months there at the end of your life.

My friends mother was in a BKK hospital for about a month before she died. She had a private room, constant attention, tubes up her nose to feed her, a catheter to take away her body wastes, in short everything she needed to prolong her life. She was 84 years old and my friend said after her mother died that she never wanted to end up like that.

The hospital prolonged her mothers life for a couple of weeks abd the cost was in excess of 500,000 baht.

I have told my wife that I want to die at home and if there is a lot of pain give me as many painkillers as I can eat, a good bottle of whisky, coke and ice and let me go.

[beleby]

How embarrassing. Just saw all the typos in my post and I can't edit! I agree the price was very high.

[Oleg_Rus]

Samitivej as well as Bamrungrad - are the same "lip-service" rip-offs. Pediatricians are as dumb as wooden stick, morons with attitude. When I took my son to hospital I did my home work on subject over the Internet - official Pediatrician sites, and what I found is locals cannot maintant simple conversation - all based on anything exept science and freaking greed

Just example - m***f**** sent 1y.o. boy for CAT scan for simple bump on his head - twice a month, just to be sure, nothing happen. Although he didn't check his eye reaction, apetite and so... All just to get 20% off the bill ?

There're so many stories like antibiotics to new borns, steroid creams to pregnant, kidney biopsy for slightly swallen legs etc.

My advice - don't visit thouse m**f*** w/o home work done. Even better - take notebook with you into the room and keep asking questions, demand answers and refuse to pay even satang until all clear. My family health means more than ficticious manners.

[sriracha john]

Thanks for your post everyone. I will mention this to my wife so that she will not be fooled again. Our daughter is our first child.

"Comparing" prices at different hospitals and doctors is very difficult as the number of variables is almost infinite and without more specifics it's practically impossible.

Just as an example:

Did the doctor in your case order any lab or other tests?

What was the medication prescribed?

Did your wife use the Emergency Room?

Was the doctor a pediatrician or general practitioner?

You may or may not have been over-charged, but without more details, an accurate assessment is not possible.

[think_too_mut]

When our baby was sick with an infection we took him to Phaya Thai 3 on Phet Kasem and ended up paying in excess of 20, 000 for two nights in a private room. The service was first cl;ass buit with all teh extra medications on top, the bill was very high.

These places must make a killing.

You just reminded me what my Thai colleague said: Bumrungrad and Samitvej are the money printing factories.

He uses Phaya Thai although his insurance would cover anything, no matter how much more expensive.