Phuket Hospitals - My Experience & Cost Comparison To Hospitals Up North

[ShawnStorm]

You saved 1000 baht after wasting a whole day going between hospitals. Penny wise and pound poor IMO. I find my time far more precious than money and if you concentrated more of your efforts in earning than saving then perhaps you would have a better quality of life

I didn't really waste a whole day. The back and forth part added about 1 hour to the whole experience. Total time spent from first going to Vachira to being totally done was about 2.5 hours.

Yes, I could of simply gone to Phuket International and probably done it in less than 30 minutes. For some people, it would of been worth paying an extra 1300 baht, and I can totally relate to that. However, I didn't have anything else to do that day, so in the end the extra time wasn't really an issue. My only reason for visiting Phuket was to take care of these shots, so the hospital experience was sort of like my daily "activity" to keep myself entertained.

-shawn-

[ShawnStorm]

I appreciate the story and thanks to the OP for telling us.

Good to know that prices can sometimes be negotiable.

For those of you condemning the man because he wanted to save money, to each his own.

Let the guy choose how he spends his money and time.

And you choose yours.

He is lucky to be traveling around the country and seeing all of Thailand.

Maybe some of you have real nice houses but don't go anywhere.

Up to you, up to him.

Me, I'd much rather travel than sit in a comfortable place.

The Op should have gone to a clinic, as suggested earlier a couple of times, would have been cheaper and faster, especially with the OP's travel plans.

I would presume Shawn to be female BTW.

Umm, no I am "male". The spelling of "Shawn" is commonly used for both females and males.

I appreciate the advice of going to clinics instead of hospitals. I simply didn't know. My first visit was to a hospital (in Pai) at the recommendations of a local. I guess from there out I thought hospitals were where I needed to go and didn't realize clinics were a good alternative. I wonder if places like Pai and Chiang Rai would of had good foreigner friendly clinics that could of taken care of my needs? Anyways, I will remember to look into clinics if I need any more medical treatments while in Thailand.

-Shawn-

[stevenl]

I appreciate the story and thanks to the OP for telling us.

Good to know that prices can sometimes be negotiable.

For those of you condemning the man because he wanted to save money, to each his own.

Let the guy choose how he spends his money and time.

And you choose yours.

He is lucky to be traveling around the country and seeing all of Thailand.

Maybe some of you have real nice houses but don't go anywhere.

Up to you, up to him.

Me, I'd much rather travel than sit in a comfortable place.

The Op should have gone to a clinic, as suggested earlier a couple of times, would have been cheaper and faster, especially with the OP's travel plans.

I would presume Shawn to be female BTW.

Umm, no I am "male". The spelling of "Shawn" is commonly used for both females and males.

I appreciate the advice of going to clinics instead of hospitals. I simply didn't know. My first visit was to a hospital (in Pai) at the recommendations of a local. I guess from there out I thought hospitals were where I needed to go and didn't realize clinics were a good alternative. I wonder if places like Pai and Chiang Rai would of had good foreigner friendly clinics that could of taken care of my needs? Anyways, I will remember to look into clinics if I need any more medical treatments while in Thailand.

-Shawn-

Sorry, I know Shawn can be male and female, but judging from your post I made a wrong assumption.

Yes, for basic things like jabs clinics are fine, quite often even better than the recommended hospitals, and a lot cheaper as well. Despite the internet it isn't always easy to find your way around

[xylophone]

Thanks for posting your experience as regard the hospitals here, Shawn, and only sorry that a couple of posters had a "dig" at you, albeit gentle.

For the record, I have made use of both Bangkok Phuket Hospital and Phuket International Hospitals during the six years of my stay here and as others have suggested, in my experience, Bangkok Phuket Hospital provides the best service and is the most expensive, whilst Phuket International provides good service and was considerably less expensive at one time. However I will add that the prices at Phuket International hospital seem to have risen sharply over the past 12 months.

I do remember one incident that put me off the Bangkok Phuket Hospital, and that was where I was trying to get an operation on my GFs brother who had a large growth on his thyroid and it was going to eventually kill him without surgery, which they couldn't afford. After all the tests at the Bangkok Phuket Hospital, we agreed on surgery to remove the growth, which luckily wasn't cancerous.

I was asked to sign a form as the guarantor and I had already asked for an estimate of the price which was going to be between 80,000 and 100,000 baht, so imagine my surprise when on the form I was about to sign, the quote had almost doubled to 160,000 baht, which I queried. They couldn't give me a suitable answer so I asked for all of the x-rays and test results (much to the embarrassment of my Thai GF) and then went to Phuket International Hospital, where they performed the operation, and the price, complete with a private room for four days, came to around 110,000 baht.

Since that time I have used Phuket International Hospital in the main, however have occasionally used Bangkok Phuket Hospital for tests/scans which are unavailable elsewhere.

Let me add that I think we are very fortunate to have two very good private hospitals in Phuket, however I have never tried any of the others so I can't comment.

[JetsetBkk]

The fact that Sirirod hospital calls itself Phuket International hospital simply to attract more foreigners puts me off.

[grumpyoldman]

IMHO-this has been one of the fresher threads and want to say thank you to the OP, Shawn.

Shawn, possible to just get a condensed, concise list of what you experienced?

Pai- (short blurb)

Chiang Mai -

Phuket International -

etc, etc, etc......

This way anyone interested in keeping the info can just C&P into a document and save for when needed. Cheers, GOM

P.S.-fellow TV poster and I last night at the beach during sunset agreed Dr. Thithi at Chalong Circle could have gotten that done for you on the cheap-cheap.

[ShawnStorm]

IMHO-this has been one of the fresher threads and want to say thank you to the OP, Shawn.

Shawn, possible to just get a condensed, concise list of what you experienced?

Pai- (short blurb)

Chiang Mai -

Phuket International -

etc, etc, etc......

This way anyone interested in keeping the info can just C&P into a document and save for when needed. Cheers, GOM

P.S.-fellow TV poster and I last night at the beach during sunset agreed Dr. Thithi at Chalong Circle could have gotten that done for you on the cheap-cheap.

Sure, I will give it a shot (pun not intended):

Pai Hospital: Somewhat funky little hospital with small emergency room which is where I was directed to get my shots. I went here twice (first for my initial rabies and tetanus shots, and then again for rabies). Both times I was in and out in less than 30 minutes. Cost was very low, around 750 baht for my first trip (included wound cleaning, doctor consultation, hospital fee, and both shots). Second visit only cost 360 baht. Overall positive experiences, but I wouldn't go to this hospital for anything serious.

Sripat Hospital in Chiang Mai: Very large and somewhat crowded. This was also the most expensive of any that I got treatment at. The visit took about 2 hours total and involved visiting multiple floors of a skyscraper style building. The doctor spoke good english and seemed competant. Total cost was 780 baht for rabies shot and doctor consultation (which was basically the doctor asking me if I had a fever and looking at the wound - total time about 2 minutes). Overall I didn't like this hospital that much and probably wouldn't go back.

Sriburin Hospital in Chiang Rai: Large but accessible hospital that seemed fairly nice but not as fancy as Phuket International. The visit was fairly quick (total time of about 40 minutes) and cost 680 baht including hospital fee, nurse fee, and rabies shot. I didn't see a doctor, just the nurse for a shot. Positive experience overall.

Phuket International: Didn't get treatment due to high cost and attitude of woman at registration. I was quoted 2000+ baht when I asked about costs. I said it seemed expensive and told them how much I had paid at the other hospitals. They said I should go to Vachira if I wanted cheap healthcare. This hospital is the nicest and cleanest of all the hospitals I have visited. If I was willing to pay the high cost, I am guessing it would of been quick and professional. I actually got a full health checkup at this hospital 8 years ago and it was a good experience. However, it seems their prices have increased quite a bit since I seem to recall their prices being quite fair back then. Of all the hospitals I visited, this is the one I would choose for anything serious (assuming I could afford their high costs).

Vachira Hospital in Phuket: Crazy busy hospital. Total time was approximately 2 hours, and may of been less if I had not left and came back. Doctor was nice and spoke decent english (although not perfect and there was some confusion around some of my questions). The entire process of registration, payment, etc was confusing. Most of the staff I interacted with spoke english, but not very well. Total cost of 691 baht including doctor consult, two shots, and hospital fee. This place felt a bit hectic and I don't think I would want to go there for something serious.

Hope that is what you were looking for.

I actually don't like hospitals and would of preferred going the clinic route. I wish I had known that was a viable option.

-Shawn

[Jimi007]

IMHO-this has been one of the fresher threads and want to say thank you to the OP, Shawn.

Shawn, possible to just get a condensed, concise list of what you experienced?

Pai- (short blurb)

Chiang Mai -

Phuket International -

etc, etc, etc......

This way anyone interested in keeping the info can just C&P into a document and save for when needed. Cheers, GOM

P.S.-fellow TV poster and I last night at the beach during sunset agreed Dr. Thithi at Chalong Circle could have gotten that done for you on the cheap-cheap.

Sure, I will give it a shot (pun not intended):

Pai Hospital: Somewhat funky little hospital with small emergency room which is where I was directed to get my shots. I went here twice (first for my initial rabies and tetanus shots, and then again for rabies). Both times I was in and out in less than 30 minutes. Cost was very low, around 750 baht for my first trip (included wound cleaning, doctor consultation, hospital fee, and both shots). Second visit only cost 360 baht. Overall positive experiences, but I wouldn't go to this hospital for anything serious.

Sripat Hospital in Chiang Mai: Very large and somewhat crowded. This was also the most expensive of any that I got treatment at. The visit took about 2 hours total and involved visiting multiple floors of a skyscraper style building. The doctor spoke good english and seemed competant. Total cost was 780 baht for rabies shot and doctor consultation (which was basically the doctor asking me if I had a fever and looking at the wound - total time about 2 minutes). Overall I didn't like this hospital that much and probably wouldn't go back.

Sriburin Hospital in Chiang Rai: Large but accessible hospital that seemed fairly nice but not as fancy as Phuket International. The visit was fairly quick (total time of about 40 minutes) and cost 680 baht including hospital fee, nurse fee, and rabies shot. I didn't see a doctor, just the nurse for a shot. Positive experience overall.

Phuket International: Didn't get treatment due to high cost and attitude of woman at registration. I was quoted 2000+ baht when I asked about costs. I said it seemed expensive and told them how much I had paid at the other hospitals. They said I should go to Vachira if I wanted cheap healthcare. This hospital is the nicest and cleanest of all the hospitals I have visited. If I was willing to pay the high cost, I am guessing it would of been quick and professional. I actually got a full health checkup at this hospital 8 years ago and it was a good experience. However, it seems their prices have increased quite a bit since I seem to recall their prices being quite fair back then. Of all the hospitals I visited, this is the one I would choose for anything serious (assuming I could afford their high costs).

Vachira Hospital in Phuket: Crazy busy hospital. Total time was approximately 2 hours, and may of been less if I had not left and came back. Doctor was nice and spoke decent english (although not perfect and there was some confusion around some of my questions). The entire process of registration, payment, etc was confusing. Most of the staff I interacted with spoke english, but not very well. Total cost of 691 baht including doctor consult, two shots, and hospital fee. This place felt a bit hectic and I don't think I would want to go there for something serious.

Hope that is what you were looking for.

I actually don't like hospitals and would of preferred going the clinic route. I wish I had known that was a viable option.

-Shawn

Thanks Shawn for your summary!

[manly100]

My GF and I crashed a motorbike in samui and some Thais pealed us off the road laid us in the back of their pickup and took us to a hospital that seemed like an army base hospital what with all the army blokes
there, anyway they checked us over, cleaned stitched and bandaged us up. Real painful stuff but worked just the same. When we were discharged we were put in a car and dropped off at our hotel with a bag of pills. They never asked for any money and I just thought that's how things are done in Thailand. Later when I had stomach pains in Phuket I was taken to BKK Phuket hospital and was told to stay overnight, before discharge the next day they handed me a bill for 55'000 baht. My insurance paid all of it, but I was like WOW.

[DonaldBattles]

At the Bangkok Phuket Hospital you can die expensively and fast as it happened to a good friend of mine. I almost lost my leg because of the doctor who butchered it there. If you are ill this is no place for you unless you have a lot of money to waste and want to die quick.

Conversely, the Phuket International Hospital is one of the best I have ever been to up country. Dr. Tolinet there is one of the best doctors that I have ever known.

[chiang mai]

At the Bangkok Phuket Hospital you can die expensively and fast as it happened to a good friend of mine. I almost lost my leg because of the doctor who butchered it there. If you are ill this is no place for you unless you have a lot of money to waste and want to die quick.

Conversely, the Phuket International Hospital is one of the best I have ever been to up country. Dr. Tolinet there is one of the best doctors that I have ever known.

Now that I can easily agree with.

[Colonel_Mustard]

At the Bangkok Phuket Hospital you can die expensively and fast as it happened to a good friend of mine. I almost lost my leg because of the doctor who butchered it there. If you are ill this is no place for you unless you have a lot of money to waste and want to die quick.

Conversely, the Phuket International Hospital is one of the best I have ever been to up country. Dr. Tolinet there is one of the best doctors that I have ever known.

Personally I have had the opposite experience and would never return to Phuket International Hospital. I have had only good experiences at Bangkok Hospital.

[BOBBYTIN]

I cant believe how cheap some people are. The best doctors and service is at Bangkok Phuket Hospital. Pay the equivalent of a good steak and you will get better health care. Pay the price of a Kao Gaeng and get butchered at Vichara.

wrong and ill informed, in fact, a lot of the DRs also work in vichira, a friend got quoted a crazy price, over 13000b at bkk phuket,for a small op on her ankle,she spoke to a german DR,it was too much,went to vachira,same DR,and 24000b. they have some private rooms in vachira,and are good with bike accidents,and gunshots,they cannot cure and heal everyone. not everyone is as fortunate as you ivan,you lucky boy

[stevenl]

I cant believe how cheap some people are. The best doctors and service is at Bangkok Phuket Hospital. Pay the equivalent of a good steak and you will get better health care. Pay the price of a Kao Gaeng and get butchered at Vichara.

wrong and ill informed, in fact, a lot of the DRs also work in vichira, a friend got quoted a crazy price, over 13000b at bkk phuket,for a small op on her ankle,she spoke to a german DR,it was too much,went to vachira,same DR,and 24000b. they have some private rooms in vachira,and are good with bike accidents,and gunshots,they cannot cure and heal everyone. not everyone is as fortunate as you ivan,you lucky boy

For that price difference I would have chosen BPH.

Edited March 7, 2013 by stevenl

[BOBBYTIN]

I cant believe how cheap some people are. The best doctors and service is at Bangkok Phuket Hospital. Pay the equivalent of a good steak and you will get better health care. Pay the price of a Kao Gaeng and get butchered at Vichara.

The most expensive health care here by far is at BKK Phuket. Not the best at all IMO or the doctors I have seen here over many years, who referred me to a specific doctor at Phuket International. He knew what he was doing, had a plan and wasn't a jerk like the doctors and staff are at BKK Phuket. Yes and I can't believe how foolish some are with their money.

You are showing your ignorance. The same doctors work at bkk hkt and Vichara. The difference is the waiting time and enthusiasm. Splash out a bit of cash and you get a more enthusiastic quack and less waiting time

I know what I would prefer. Each to their own though. The Farang Chalong Honda Wave gang are easily spotted outside Vichara each morning. Im glad im not amongst these old fossils haggiling about bins at the hospital reception (how embarrassing) with their isaarn bar wives. Shoot me in the head please if I ever get to that stage

love to oblige.just let us know

[KarenBravo]

Anything serious, I'd hop on the first plane to Singapore.

[JetsetBkk]

I cant believe how cheap some people are. The best doctors and service is at Bangkok Phuket Hospital. Pay the equivalent of a good steak and you will get better health care. Pay the price of a Kao Gaeng and get butchered at Vichara.

wrong and ill informed, in fact, a lot of the DRs also work in vichira, a friend got quoted a crazy price, over 13000b at bkk phuket,for a small op on her ankle,she spoke to a german DR,it was too much,went to vachira,same DR,and 24000b. they have some private rooms in vachira,and are good with bike accidents,and gunshots,they cannot cure and heal everyone. not everyone is as fortunate as you ivan,you lucky boy

Are you sure your numbers are round the right way?

The cost was 13000 at Bkk Phuket and more - 24000 - at Vachira?

[stevenl]

I cant believe how cheap some people are. The best doctors and service is at Bangkok Phuket Hospital. Pay the equivalent of a good steak and you will get better health care. Pay the price of a Kao Gaeng and get butchered at Vichara.chosen BPH: cheaper and much nicer.

wrong and ill informed, in fact, a lot of the DRs also work in vichira, a friend got quoted a crazy price, over 13000b at bkk phuket,for a small op on her ankle,she spoke to a german DR,it was too much,went to vachira,same DR,and 24000b. they have some private rooms in vachira,and are good with bike accidents,and gunshots,they cannot cure and heal everyone. not everyone is as fortunate as you ivan,you lucky boy

Are you sure your numbers are round the right way?

The cost was 13000 at Bkk Phuket and more - 24000 - at Vachira?

That's why I said I would have chosen BPH: cheaper and much nicer.

[JetsetBkk]

I cant believe how cheap some people are. The best doctors and service is at Bangkok Phuket Hospital. Pay the equivalent of a good steak and you will get better health care. Pay the price of a Kao Gaeng and get butchered at Vichara.chosen BPH: cheaper and much nicer.

wrong and ill informed, in fact, a lot of the DRs also work in vichira, a friend got quoted a crazy price, over 13000b at bkk phuket,for a small op on her ankle,she spoke to a german DR,it was too much,went to vachira,same DR,and 24000b. they have some private rooms in vachira,and are good with bike accidents,and gunshots,they cannot cure and heal everyone. not everyone is as fortunate as you ivan,you lucky boy

Are you sure your numbers are round the right way?

The cost was 13000 at Bkk Phuket and more - 24000 - at Vachira?

That's why I said I would have chosen BPH: cheaper and much nicer.

Yes, I understood your comment. That's why I would like BOBBYTIN to confirm that the numbers are either round the wrong way, or maybe there's an extra zero on the Vachira one.

[KarenBravo]

I think he left a zero off. 130,000?

[JetsetBkk]

I think he left a zero off. 130,000?

Yep! That's probably more like it!

[petercallen]

I stopped in the BPH last month for one night, the private room cost 2600 baht very cheap IMHO

[grumpyoldman]

My friend Don earlier in the thread puts a good knock on BPH, but I've mainly had good experiences there and would recommend it.

Overcharging on the prescriptions? Absolutely but I think they all do that, and if you have been here long enough you know the trick is to see what they are prescribing, dosage info, and then say no thank you and haul ass to the local pharmacy for the same stuff at a third of the cost.

BTW-thanks again to the OP for the thread and subsequent quick summary.

[BOBBYTIN]

I cant believe how cheap some people are. The best doctors and service is at Bangkok Phuket Hospital. Pay the equivalent of a good steak and you will get better health care. Pay the price of a Kao Gaeng and get butchered at Vichara.

wrong and ill informed, in fact, a lot of the DRs also work in vichira, a friend got quoted a crazy price, over 13000b at bkk phuket,for a small op on her ankle,she spoke to a german DR,it was too much,went to vachira,same DR,and 24000b. they have some private rooms in vachira,and are good with bike accidents,and gunshots,they cannot cure and heal everyone. not everyone is as fortunate as you ivan,you lucky boy

Are you sure your numbers are round the right way?

The cost was 13000 at Bkk Phuket and more - 24000 - at Vachira?

my mistake 130,000b at bkk phuket

[BOBBYTIN]

I think he left a zero off. 130,000?

i did.sorry

[seaeagle]

Got one of these full body health check-ups while up north on holiday recently.

Same checks as Phuket International who charge, I think, around 12,000 right now. I paid 3,600 in a private hospital - service comparable to my last check at PIH, and certainly a lot less busy. The only downside was my report - just in Thai language. However, a very helpful English-speaking doctor went through it all with me, ticking all items off against my previous PIH report, so I'm fully aware of my year-on-year figures and counts.

[xylophone]

A quick update for those still following this thread and it has to do with my dissatisfaction with Phuket International Hospital, even though I had made it my hospital of choice in the past. However this has been slowly changing due to the increase in costs, which I think I posted about earlier on. I have no problem with increasing costs to match inflation or improved services, however I do object to an increase in costs over and above what is considered the norm, in addition to a decrease in service, so I may well give Bangkok Phuket Hospital another try next time round.

I have been putting up with some fairly hefty charges (4 to 5,000 baht) when seeing a doctor for sinusitis at PIH, although I did put this down to the medications he was providing although we all know we can buy them cheaper outside of the hospital. However on my last visit I was extremely surprised to get a bill for 1600 baht for an appointment lasting a little over 6 minutes, with no medication involved and when I queried the bill it became evident that I was charged 800 baht for the appointment and 800 baht for the use of equipment!!!

Now this equipment consisted of a very thin probe screwed to the end of a flexible tube which was in turn connected to a small television screen. This enabled the Dr to poke around inside of my nose and see if there was any swelling or anything untoward, which there wasn't. Total time spent in probing around was about 1 min in each nostril, and of course the probe is reusable, so a charge of 800 baht for this seemed a little extortionate.

It's a bit like going to see your doctor and him charging you 800 baht for the appointment, and 800 baht for the use of his stethoscope, because after all that is the instrument he is using to assist in his diagnosis.

I am not concerned with the amount, more the principal of the charge as a way of gaining more revenue.

In addition to this I arrived 10 min early for my appointment and was ushered in to see the doctor some 40 min after my appointment time, which I was not too happy about.

The more one compares the BPH to the PIH the more one sees the vast gap in service, and a look at the food facilities available really makes you think about the management of the hospitals............at BPH you can select from a variety of relatively healthy foods or have a really healthy sandwich made up from fresh produce OR at the PIH you can select from a range of fat laden, sugar loaded, unhealthy foods with not one single choice of anything remotely healthy available. What does that say about their attitude towards health?

[chiang mai]

A quick update for those still following this thread and it has to do with my dissatisfaction with Phuket International Hospital, even though I had made it my hospital of choice in the past. However this has been slowly changing due to the increase in costs, which I think I posted about earlier on. I have no problem with increasing costs to match inflation or improved services, however I do object to an increase in costs over and above what is considered the norm, in addition to a decrease in service, so I may well give Bangkok Phuket Hospital another try next time round.

I have been putting up with some fairly hefty charges (4 to 5,000 baht) when seeing a doctor for sinusitis at PIH, although I did put this down to the medications he was providing although we all know we can buy them cheaper outside of the hospital. However on my last visit I was extremely surprised to get a bill for 1600 baht for an appointment lasting a little over 6 minutes, with no medication involved and when I queried the bill it became evident that I was charged 800 baht for the appointment and 800 baht for the use of equipment!!!

Now this equipment consisted of a very thin probe screwed to the end of a flexible tube which was in turn connected to a small television screen. This enabled the Dr to poke around inside of my nose and see if there was any swelling or anything untoward, which there wasn't. Total time spent in probing around was about 1 min in each nostril, and of course the probe is reusable, so a charge of 800 baht for this seemed a little extortionate.

It's a bit like going to see your doctor and him charging you 800 baht for the appointment, and 800 baht for the use of his stethoscope, because after all that is the instrument he is using to assist in his diagnosis.

I am not concerned with the amount, more the principal of the charge as a way of gaining more revenue.

In addition to this I arrived 10 min early for my appointment and was ushered in to see the doctor some 40 min after my appointment time, which I was not too happy about.

The more one compares the BPH to the PIH the more one sees the vast gap in service, and a look at the food facilities available really makes you think about the management of the hospitals............at BPH you can select from a variety of relatively healthy foods or have a really healthy sandwich made up from fresh produce OR at the PIH you can select from a range of fat laden, sugar loaded, unhealthy foods with not one single choice of anything remotely healthy available. What does that say about their attitude towards health?

Bumrungrad offers its patients and visitors room service from McDonalds on the first floor of the hospital, what does that tell you!

[Jimi007]

A quick update for those still following this thread and it has to do with my dissatisfaction with Phuket International Hospital, even though I had made it my hospital of choice in the past. However this has been slowly changing due to the increase in costs, which I think I posted about earlier on. I have no problem with increasing costs to match inflation or improved services, however I do object to an increase in costs over and above what is considered the norm, in addition to a decrease in service, so I may well give Bangkok Phuket Hospital another try next time round.

I have been putting up with some fairly hefty charges (4 to 5,000 baht) when seeing a doctor for sinusitis at PIH, although I did put this down to the medications he was providing although we all know we can buy them cheaper outside of the hospital. However on my last visit I was extremely surprised to get a bill for 1600 baht for an appointment lasting a little over 6 minutes, with no medication involved and when I queried the bill it became evident that I was charged 800 baht for the appointment and 800 baht for the use of equipment!!!

Now this equipment consisted of a very thin probe screwed to the end of a flexible tube which was in turn connected to a small television screen. This enabled the Dr to poke around inside of my nose and see if there was any swelling or anything untoward, which there wasn't. Total time spent in probing around was about 1 min in each nostril, and of course the probe is reusable, so a charge of 800 baht for this seemed a little extortionate.

It's a bit like going to see your doctor and him charging you 800 baht for the appointment, and 800 baht for the use of his stethoscope, because after all that is the instrument he is using to assist in his diagnosis.

I am not concerned with the amount, more the principal of the charge as a way of gaining more revenue.

In addition to this I arrived 10 min early for my appointment and was ushered in to see the doctor some 40 min after my appointment time, which I was not too happy about.

The more one compares the BPH to the PIH the more one sees the vast gap in service, and a look at the food facilities available really makes you think about the management of the hospitals............at BPH you can select from a variety of relatively healthy foods or have a really healthy sandwich made up from fresh produce OR at the PIH you can select from a range of fat laden, sugar loaded, unhealthy foods with not one single choice of anything remotely healthy available. What does that say about their attitude towards health?

Let us know what your bill from BPH for the same service. I thinking it will be a bit more.

[DonaldBattles]

What ever you do in Phuket as farang you are going to get screwed. So maybe you should forget about going to the hospital frequently and staying at home. Or the best cost solution is the government hospital. Phuket is for the rich farangs to get screwed and it is not restricted to the hospitals. Bring on the money!