The Thai Public Health System

[Sheryl]

Below hospital level is the Health Center. These are extremely limited and usually staffed by a single newly graduated doctor. OK for lancing a simple abscess, checking your BP, getting a tetanus shot etc, but otherwise offers very little as regards curative care. Thais mainly use these for preventive services (antenatal care, immunization etc) and they are fine for that. Also, they usually offer traditional Thai massage by well trained masseuses (so do the hospitals).

Now for Hospitals:

As in most countries, the Thai public health system has different tiers of hospitals. The lowest tier is the District Hospital (which is what Bunglamung is). These are very basic and have very limited facilities...sometimes only 1 physician (usually a new graduate) and liittle or nothing in terms of laboratory or Xray etc. Some district hospitals located in towns with unusually large populations are better equipped than average but still nothing like the next level up which is the:

Provincial Hospital - located only in provinical capitals (so for Pattaya this would be Chonburi). These are a very large step above District Hospitals; they can do a wide range of general surgery and have large inpatient capacities, full laboratory and imaging (though usually not CT or MRI, just sonogram and Xray).

Selected Provincial Hospitals are designated as Regional Hospitals, these offer specialized services like cancer chemotherapy to a group of provinces. They are usually affiliated with a medical school and have a wide range of specialists.

And then there are the National Hospitals in Bangkok which offer the highest level of care.

One disadvantage of the "30 baht" scheme is that people have to register at the nearest govt hospital and cannot self refer to a higher level than the one they are registered in, they have to be referred by the hospital. Thois who happen to live in an ampur muang will be registered at a provincial hospital to begin with so not as much problem as for those who live outside it.

We farangs, while not eligible for the free care, have the advantage of being able to go directly to whatever level/hospital we want. In almost all cases this will be at least a provincial hospitals. Unless it is a simple wound/tetanus shot or the like District Hospitals are best avoided.

Another option are the various military hospitals (army, navy etc). These are usually open to the general public on a fee basis and the quality of care is usually good, i.e. on a par with regional or national hospitals.

[AussieBob9999]

Newbie to AN and looking for information. Sorry if already provided - been looking around. 

 

There are 'Premium Clinics' in Thailand that are special clinics available to the public in some government hospitals. I am aware of the 'Premium Clinic' associated with the big Government Hospital in Chiang Mai - the Sriphat Centre. When we lived there we used that Clinic in Chiang Mai and it was great.  It cost much more than the Government Hospitals, but was much cheaper than the Private hospitals. That is definitely an option for any Expat living in Chiang Mai. But we are looking to live elsewhere when we move back to Thailand (in Aust now) and one of the deciding factors for which City will be the availability of medical services - and Premium Clinics comes into it.

 

Can anyone provide details or a list of the Premium Clinics available in all of Thailand.  There is a website that offers to provide that list, but you must pay to become a member.  Given that they are all Government provided Clinics, I am sure they are listed somewhere within the bowels of the Thai Medical Bureaucracy, but I definitely do not want to go in there.

 

Can anyone advise of any other Premium Clinics that they are aware of, and if they have used them maybe a quick review?

 

Thanks - Bob

 

[CharlieH]

If you are referring to the clinics set up by Doctors from the Hospitals, to my knowledge they are pretyy much in most major towns, just like many of the Dentists who work in Govt by day and have their own practice outside of that.

Gynocologists and other "specialities" also do this.

 

I am not aware of any "list" though, sorry.

 

 

[Sheryl]

4 hours ago, CharlieH said:

If you are referring to the clinics set up by Doctors from the Hospitals, to my knowledge they are pretyy much in most major towns, just like many of the Dentists who work in Govt by day and have their own practice outside of that.

Gynocologists and other "specialities" also do this.

 

I am not aware of any "list" though, sorry.

 

 

That is not what he means- what you describe are private clinics which are not that common in Thaikland (except for some reason in Chiang Mai) and usually offer nothing other than dispensining medicatiuons (again, CM an exception).

 

What he means are semi-private clinics located within government hospitals.  Most government hospitals have this in some form but not usually called a "Premium Clinic" (Rajawithi uses that term but most do not). 

 

The most common term is after hours clinic (clinic nawk wela). Definitley the best way to utiliuze government hospitals, not only less wait but, most importantly, direct access to senior doctor.

 

Just choose the government hospital you want, show up around 3 PM and ask for that.

[Neeranam]

Very useful info Sheryl, thanks.