Where To Go In Case Of Medical Emergency In Bangkok?

[yeti]

Hi,

Recently I was in a taxi with friends when one of them had a panic attack, and lost consciousness 5 or 6 times in a row.

We were near Sukhumvit 1 so I told the taxi driver to go to Bumrumgrad emergencies. I did not know it was a panic attack, and I was quite worried (so was the driver )

When we arrived there, there were 3 or 4 hospital employees in front of the building, who did not care at all about us, refused to help us with my friend, or to fetch a doctor. They just looked upset by my calls for help...

Then I came inside (my friend was still outside as we could not manage to bring him inside), asked the receptionist about a doctor, and of course all she did was to give me a form to fill in. She could not understand that the person needing to be taken care of was still outside, as she was speaking english almost as well as the lady selling somtam near my condo...

After 20 minutes the doctor was still not there, but my friend was feeling better so we moved away.

Anyway things ended well, but now I have a question: in case of real medical emergency where to go, if the 'best hospital in Bangkok' is not the good place?

[PeaceBlondie]

A friend of mine, a fellow poster on ThaiVisa, says that Bangkok Nursing Hospital is better than Bumrungrad. I find that Samitivej is better for me because their best physicians post their professional resumes on the website, which I can't find for Bumrungrad. The spouse of a veteranarian tells me they had lots of trouble with Bumrungrad.

I don't know. I've no axe to grind; never been to Bumrungrad. I just wonder if it's still 'the best hospital in Bangkok' or just the most expensive.

[yeti]

I also go to Samitivej when I need to, but I never tried their emergency service.

One time I tried to get Sukhumvit hospital (another fair private hospital) to send someone to my nearby condo, and they told me to get a taxi

[Erwin1011]

I was very well attended to when i broke my tigh bone a couple of years ago,in what turned out to be a very complicated fracture, at the Bangkok General Hospital. emergency staff apparently realized it was complicated, called the specialist who was there in 15 minutes although not being on duty.

[Digger]

silly question perhaps - but what time of day was this and which entrance do you use? If coming from Soi 1, odds are the taxi driver took you to the main entrance of the hospital - the ER room is the other side of the street with its own dedicated entrance and big sign outside saying emergencies.

If its the main entrance, the 4 people outside were probably the valet parking guys !!!!

Edited March 15, 2006 by Digger

[lopburi3]

Parking or not they should have been able to direct to the ER. It is not that well marked as our taxi driver also missed it several years ago when we made the mistake of using that hospital.

[h90]

thats a horror story, will remember that in case of emergencies and will take a different hospital instead.

But it is normal to get panic attacks at thai taxis and getting unconsciousness is the best what can happen to you in a taxi here...

Sorry for the joke, but as everything turned out well, I think I can do that....

Hi,

Recently I was in a taxi with friends when one of them had a panic attack, and lost consciousness 5 or 6 times in a row.

We were near Sukhumvit 1 so I told the taxi driver to go to Bumrumgrad emergencies. I did not know it was a panic attack, and I was quite worried (so was the driver )

When we arrived there, there were 3 or 4 hospital employees in front of the building, who did not care at all about us, refused to help us with my friend, or to fetch a doctor. They just looked upset by my calls for help...

Then I came inside (my friend was still outside as we could not manage to bring him inside), asked the receptionist about a doctor, and of course all she did was to give me a form to fill in. She could not understand that the person needing to be taken care of was still outside, as she was speaking english almost as well as the lady selling somtam near my condo...

After 20 minutes the doctor was still not there, but my friend was feeling better so we moved away.

Anyway things ended well, but now I have a question: in case of real medical emergency where to go, if the 'best hospital in Bangkok' is not the good place?

[Orion76]

You probably went in through the wrong entrance. When you walk through the emergency entrance, which has large metal doors, you enter a room with hospital beds, similar to the treatment room where you get vaccinations etc. in the OPD. It's not a room with a receptionist.

I really think Samitivej is a better hospital but in case of an emergency I'd probably choose the one that's closest.

The most elaborate emergency room setup I have seen is at Bangkok General Hospital.

[Sheryl]

I have had good experiences with the ERs at both Samitivej and Bangkok General.

[leisurely]

Any hosptial in an emergency. Do not be too selective. I took our then 2 year old to BNH at 2am, the guards outside were asleep, the nurses inside A+E were nail painting and they had to get the doctor out of bed! When he appeared he diagnosed tonsillitis and said they would admit her and remove the offending tonsils in the morning. I refused his kind offer and took her home.

I have not let that put me off, we have had very good treatment at both BNH and Samitivej.

[Sheryl]

Any hosptial in an emergency. Do not be too selective. I took our then 2 year old to BNH at 2am, the guards outside were asleep, the nurses inside A+E were nail painting and they had to get the doctor out of bed! When he appeared he diagnosed tonsillitis and said they would admit her and remove the offending tonsils in the morning. I refused his kind offer and took her home.

I have not let that put me off, we have had very good treatment at both BNH and Samitivej.

I can't say I agree with the " any hospital" philosophy. Many of the small private hospitals in Bangkok are unable to provide adequate emergency care. In a true emergency, head for one of the larger well equipped ones -- either one of the major government hospitals (e.g. Siriraj, Chula), or the big privates: Samitivej, BNH, Bangkok General or Bumrungrad.

One tip -- if you call their ambulance, the hospital will be on alert to expect you in the ER with the needed staff on hand. Soem of these places (referring to the private hosps) don't get a high volume of night-time emergency cases so just showing up may require that they summon a doctor from elsewhere in the hospital or awaken the one on call. (The government hosps, by contrast, have quite lively ERs....which means that if you are not really critical, you may face a wait, but the staff will already be up and about.)

Ambulance services for the private hospitals are surprisingly inexpensive, not like in the west...perhaps because they view it as a source of revenue (way to bring in patients). I arranged an ambulance pick up for a Cambodian friend at the airport from Bangkok General a few years back, cost was only about 1,500 baht (this is about 4 years ago sio may have increased abit) they met the plane on the runway, ambulance was staffed with nurses, they stabilized him on the spot and everything was ready when he arrived at the ER.

[donna]

Ive been admitted to 'Bummers' via Accident and Emergency and didnt have any problems. I was delivered by ambulance from another hospital, they were expecting me and I was admitted within half an hour or so.

A friend of mine who attempted suicide was seen by a doctor as soon as we got out of the car. The doctor suggested she be admitted into another facility as they did not have the psychiatric staff to stay with her 24 hours a day. We headed to Bangkok Hospital, and I found the staff there to be lovely.

I have had other cases of myself and friends being admitted to Bummers with no problems at all.

[lomatopo]

I've only had excellent experiences at Bumrungrad. My only Emergency Room visit resulted with me seeing a Doctor within 5 minutes of entering the facility. I was fortunate enough to know where to go (proper after-hours entrance, which seemed reasonably labeled to me) and I have a patient record number so not a lot of fiddling with forms. With only one or two attending physicians it's easy to imagine them getting overwhelmed for a few minutes. I can also imagine taxis routinely pull in throughout the evening with incapicated foreigners? In the future just ask to speak to the attending Physician, while spelling out the situation as calmly and clearly as possible. Loss of conciousness would have been a key phrase to use in the OP's case. In any event it's good to know that the person who was ill was able to fully recover. Maybe it was the heat, or an allergic reaction. or too much (or not enough) to drink, or jet-lag or a bad reaction to some pharmaceuticals?

[Axel]

I am always surprised how many people use Bumrungrad just as a shortcut to drive between Sukh Soi 1 and 3, for sure they all know where the ER-entrance is.

Anyway, last December a friend on a party, I gave, slipped off his bar stool and got a nasty cut on his temple. Called Bumrungrad and the ambulance arrived within 15 min. at Soi 24. (Heavy traffic around 11:30 pm) He got first aid in the ambulance and the doctor waiting at the ER.

Took about 1 hour incl. 8 stitches, some Baht 8500 all included.

[Sheryl]

2 more votes for arriving by ambulance.

It lets them know you are coming and what you will need...the ambulance staff report in enroute. (True in the other hosps too).

Especially a good idea late at night when they may need to round up equipment or personnel not already in the ER.

[yeti]

Hi,

Sorry I did not answer before but I was on vacations with my friends (definitely feeling better ).

My friend had a 1st crisis at around 2 in the morning at my condo, so my gf called the nearest hospital (Sukhumvit hospital) for an ambulance, they told us to take a taxi as they did not have any ambulance available.

Then my friend seemed to feel better, so we stayed there.

It was when we were going back to their hotel at 4 in the morning that my friend made his second crisis, and we decided to go to Burumgrad (hotel was in Soi 1).

We arrived at the entry where it's written EMERGENCY in big letters, so I guess it was the good one...

Anyway I'd agree with one of the posters: in this kind of situation the nearest will probably be the best, and the symptoms being more psychological than anything another emergency service might have reacted the same (but might have had an english speaking receptionist ).

Another question: in case of a problem at home, is there an emergency number to call (equivalent to the 911 in the US)? I tried 112 on my mobile phone, but it doesn't work (althought I think it's part of the GSM standard).

[Orion76]

Another question: in case of a problem at home, is there an emergency number to call (equivalent to the 911 in the US)? I tried 112 on my mobile phone, but it doesn't work (althought I think it's part of the GSM standard).

I would advise you program the phone numbers of some good hospitals into your mobile.

You don't want to be tossed into the back of one of those rescue pick-up trucks and taken to Police General Hospital.

[cooL_guY_corY]

is Bangkok General the same hospital as the Bangkok Phuket hospital (ie same people running it, obviously ones in phuket and ones in bkk..)

[uhuh]

is Bangkok General the same hospital as the Bangkok Phuket hospital (ie same people running it, obviously ones in phuket and ones in bkk..)

yes, it is the same company

BTW Bangkok General changed its name to Bangkok Hospital a couple of years ago, and now they changed it again to Bangkok International Hospital

[taxout]

BNH and Samitivej are also part of the Bangkok Hospital group, along with several other hospitals. But each of the hospitals seems to have its own medical staff and particular strengths and weaknesses, and I wouldn't regard them all the same by any means.

http://www.bangkokhospital.com/english/abo.../bghnetwork.asp

[Krit]

What would happen if I were involved in an accident alone, with nobody to take care of me? Like a traffic accident or violent robbery perhaps. I'm afraid that my insurance has expired already, but I would certainly be more than willing to pay for any expenses necessary to save my life (or limbs etc) myself.

I have heard that private hospitals do not take patients without securing payment first (= insurance card). If I were conscious and managed to get to a private hospital (which I would prefer), would they take my word for payment or should I always carry my ATM or credit cards - or perhaps a considerable amount of cash with a note that it can be used for treatment in case I am unconscious? I usually leave my credit cards home when going out at night, perhaps I should change this behaviour.

[Orion76]

What would happen if I were involved in an accident alone, with nobody to take care of me? Like a traffic accident or violent robbery perhaps. I'm afraid that my insurance has expired already, but I would certainly be more than willing to pay for any expenses necessary to save my life (or limbs etc) myself.

I have heard that private hospitals do not take patients without securing payment first (= insurance card). If I were conscious and managed to get to a private hospital (which I would prefer), would they take my word for payment or should I always carry my ATM or credit cards - or perhaps a considerable amount of cash with a note that it can be used for treatment in case I am unconscious? I usually leave my credit cards home when going out at night, perhaps I should change this behaviour.

Most hospitals would probably provide emergency treatment if you are critical but it would be best to have your credit card on you.

If you are unconcious and have a large amount of cash on you then by the time you get to the hospital you may not have any money on you at all. Some "ambulance/rescue" pick-up truck services are in business mostly to rob victims of their jewelry/watch/wallet. Some of them are so sinister that they will set motorcyclists up for an accident when business is slow.

Having an insurance card on you really is best in every scenario.

[PeaceBlondie]

Correction: Bumrungrad uses the same kind of listing on their website, doctor by doctor, of their professional qualifications, as Samitivej uses. It took me a while to figure it out. And some doctors appear far more qualified in their sub-specialty than others.

[Orion76]

Correction: Bumrungrad uses the same kind of listing on their website, doctor by doctor, of their professional qualifications, as Samitivej uses. It took me a while to figure it out. And some doctors appear far more qualified in their sub-specialty than others.

This is actually a bad way to select a doctor. A better way to select a doctor is to get a recommendation from a friend, especially a friend in the medical profession.

Lots of professional qualifications does not mean the doctor has the courtesy or social skills to explain what is wrong with you, how you got it, what you can do to prevent it from occurring again and how the medication he is prescribing is supposed to help you. Also everyone else is choosing doctors on the website based on qualifications so the very qualified doctors with lots of degrees and fellowships in many cases need to get you out of their office in 3 minutes because they have 20 more patients in the waiting room. Especially at Bumrungrad, in my experience, many of the very "qualified" doctors have that arrogant "you probably won't understand so I won't bother explaining" attitude.

[PeaceBlondie]

Orion76, of course, professional qualifications aren't everything. OTOH, I've got a couple of doctors here in Hua Hin who are as sweet as can be, and they take time for me, but they know nothing about my condition. Again, I've never been to Bumrungrad, but my neighbor says he usually gets the "Bum's rush" there, with medicine that determines the doctor's success at the hospital. For my damaged and infected arm and shoulder, I'm seeing a guy whose resume clearly states that he's replaced knees, hips and shoulders, had three advanced residencies in the USA, published articles in journals, etc. And my internist is board-certified in both internal medicine and infectious diseases. By contrast, some guys just say "MD, Chiang Mai; I'm an orthopedic surgeon."

The two guys I'm seeing at Samitivej are as knowledgable as I'm going to find (maybe as much as in the USA for ten times the price), they understand my English, they answer me very appropriately, and they're still not afraid to say, "I'm not sure what's wrong with you, but at least I don't think you've got A, B, or C, and it's not getting worse."

Frankly, I don't trust one-time referrals, including my own. Joe Sixpack from Omaha always knows a guy who's supposed to be good for face pimples, but would that dermatologist know a melanoma when he sees it? And that's a ridiculously simple example. The XYZ clinic on Soi 4 of Bangabangadang may be far better than the nearest govt. horsepistol, but can their neurologist distinguish narcolepsy from AADHD? My excellent Thai neurologist at the schmanzy-fancy private clinic in Chiang Mai diagnoses my sleep disorder as "idiopathic somnolence" which means, "This patient falls asleep, but we don't know why."

For certain medical problems, it's hard enough to get great diagnoses and treatment in Western private hospitals for $250. It's nearly impossible in Thailand, I fear.

[Tiger7Moth]

Hi,

Recently I was in a taxi with friends when one of them had a panic attack, and lost consciousness 5 or 6 times in a row.

We were near Sukhumvit 1 so I told the taxi driver to go to Bumrumgrad emergencies. I did not know it was a panic attack, and I was quite worried (so was the driver )

When we arrived there, there were 3 or 4 hospital employees in front of the building, who did not care at all about us, refused to help us with my friend, or to fetch a doctor. They just looked upset by my calls for help...

Then I came inside (my friend was still outside as we could not manage to bring him inside), asked the receptionist about a doctor, and of course all she did was to give me a form to fill in. She could not understand that the person needing to be taken care of was still outside, as she was speaking english almost as well as the lady selling somtam near my condo...

After 20 minutes the doctor was still not there, but my friend was feeling better so we moved away.

Anyway things ended well, but now I have a question: in case of real medical emergency where to go, if the 'best hospital in Bangkok' is not the good place?

My situation was quite different but here is my experience. I fell while running. I had a laceration on my head that required a few stiches, scrapes on one arm and one leg.

I walked into Bangkok Christian emergency room (on Silom, near Patpong). This was about 8:30pm on a Monday. I expected the same treatment that happens in America where I am from. Fill out forms, show insurance card, wait an hour or 2.

Instead, none of this. Immediately taken into the treatment room and placed on a bed. Within minutes 3 or 4 cute Thai nurses attending to me. Seemed very happy to have a farang patient. Lots of smiles and friendliness. Seeing that my laceration was not serious, Doc took care of one other patient than took care of my laceration - cleaning, injection to ward off infection, stitching.

All in all, the care was amazingly good and "enjoyable". Nurses were a lot of fun and I received wonderful attention. Doc did a great job with stiches as no scar resulted.

Couldn't have been better.

But, an entirely different case than yours.

[yeti]

It just seems that luck plays an important part when you have a medical emergency, just like in any country. Another day, at another time we might have had good care at Bumrumgrad emergency service.

The question I still don't have answer to is: is there a phone number you should call in case of medical emergency, that would send an ambulance to your home (or wherever you are), and send you to the most appropriate hospital (or the nearest one). Just like 911 in the U.S.A. or 112 in many other countries.

Well in fact I know there is one (I read some time ago an article about teenagers abusing this service with fake emergency calls), but I don't know the number (neither do I know the number to call in case of fire).

[Orion76]

PeaceBlondie > "The Bum's Rush" hahaha that's a good one!

I am not suggesting people see a doctor that doesn't have the proper education and experience, just that by going on the Bumrungrad website and choosing the doctor who has the most degrees as the doctor to see is not the best way to go about it.

If you need to see a doctor about a complex or serious medical problem a better way to go about it is to ask people in the know (like a doctor, not Mr. Sixpack) which doctor is known to be an expert in that field and will not give you the "Bum's rush" treatment

[Orion76]

Emergency Telephone Numbers

Tourist Police 1155

Police, Ambulance 191

Fire 199

Medical Emergency

Bangkok Hospital (incl Motorlance) 0-2310-3456

BNH Hospital 0-2632-0550

Bumrungrad Hospital 0-2667-2999

Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital 0-2712-7007

Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital 0-2731-7778

St. Louis Hospital 0-2675-5000

Thai Nakarin Hospital 0-2361-2712-61

If you have a medical emergency call the nearest hospital of your choice, if you call 191 or let the police arrange your ambulance you may be tossed into the back of a pickup truck and have a very uncomfortable trip to the hospital! In addition it is good if the hospital knows you are coming and knows what injuries you have, which they will be informed of in advance when you are in their ambulance

[yeti]

Thank you .

Those numbers should be pinned at the top of this forum