looking for advice about (non thai person) having a baby in a thai goverment hospital..please:)

[Frances141]

Hi there,

Just wondering if there was anyone out there that could help me. My Thai partner and I are expecting a baby later this year, a big surprise but not an unwelcome one. We are thinking that its best if we both returned to Thailand beforehand to have the baby (boyfriend’s visa runs out very soon and his visa type cannot be extended here). So if anyone could help me that would know a bit about having a baby in a Thai government hospital (unfortunately might not be able to afford private), ideally someone that’s had experience, a baby of their own recently in Thailand, I’d really like to talk with you (privately please) I’ve got myself in a pretty confused state and would love some guidance, answers or adviceJ. I’ve tried searching the internet but everything’s outdated or saying different things.

Thank You..

[David48]

Frances141 ... welcome to Thai Visa ...

Lots of good friendly advice to be found on the different Forums.

When a popular question gets asked many times, the guys here make a special place to collect that information.

Here is a link for you from the Family and Children Forum which might answer some of your questions.

Click this -> having-a-baby-in-thai-hospital

Good Luck with everything ...

.

[Boo]

which country are your from?

personally I wouldn't have a baby in a thai government hospital, they do their best but their facilities are limited & you could end up with a large bill anyway if your baby needed extra care, also I am not 100% sure that you would qualify for the free health care anyway as you aren't thai or working in thailand with wp & paying tax & insurance to entitle you to free healthcare.

I'll move this to the family section so the experts can assist but think very carefully about moving here specifically to have your baby, esp if you come from a country with fre healthcare & pregnancy after care.

Everything costs money in thailand, innoculations etc where as in your home country these things might be free.

[ava15]

I dont have very in depth knowledge of hospitals here in bangkok but I do have a 7 month old baby girl who was born in nakornthon hospital last november. Private room, flat screen tv, room service etc and I was allowed to sleep on a sofa bed in the room with the wife for all 3 nights. Very clean, very professional and a great nursery and staff (with even a training course thrown in for new parents)

Originally I believe the bill was going to be 30,000 baht but we went for a C-section in the end so the bill was 50,000. Lots of other patients and people milling about in a good atmosphere. It was definitely a lot cleaner and modern than most the NHS hospitals ive been in back home in the UK.

As for thai government hospitals, a friend of ours just gave birth in one last month (a thai couple). The hospital was one near the chao phraya in banglamphu area, not sure its name.

The building and wards looked very dated to me, and strangely our friend had the entire ward/floor to herself. Around 40 beds and just her in the corner. Private 1 bed rooms empty. My wife and the others present seemed to notice the staff were distant and a bit cold towards doing their duties.

The mother and baby are doing fine so I really dont think you'd have any problems with a government hospital. Just be prepared for aging surroundings and possibly less friendly staff.

Edited July 3, 2013 by ava15

[Sheryl]

Note that it is usually not possible for the father to be in the delivery room at a government hospital.

Also, it will not be free as you are not a Thai citizen (though it will cost less than a private hospital).

In addition -- and this is important, so note carefully - in order for your child to be eligible for free medical care, s/he must have Thia nationality and there is a procedure to go through to acquire that in the case where the father and mother are not married. Others on this forum can probably advise more regarding this.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

We need to know your home country before we can give you pros and cons.

Generally west is best as having the child out of the home country may restrict the child's nationality options.

For example

ava15 has restricted their child's ability to pass on British nationality by the child being born outside the UK.

Edited July 3, 2013 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Sheryl]

Good point, that.

I should also mention that the nurses in a govt hospital will not speak English, though the doctor will -- if it is major tertiary level hospital.

This may make labor more scary than it need be. You won't understand what they are doing and why and you won't be able to communicate your needs verbally to them.

[ava15]

Very true.

However, my wife (I hope jokingly) insists our little girl will NOT marry a thai man but a brit. I guess we will see!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[kikoman]

I believe if the father or mother is Thai they can get free hospital care at the local hospital serving the town he is a resident of!, your baby born in Thailand will have Thai Citizenship as a child of a Thai citizen..

While never having a baby at a Thai Hospital, I have been under the care of our village hospital, I get great medical care and have nothing but praise for the quality of care,

I pay 30 baht to consult with a doctor and full price for my medical care which is very inexpensive compared to similar medical care in a US Hospital.

Facilities are completely different, but that does not matter to me, what matters is the quality of care, which has been great for care at a Thai Hospital for me in the last 9 years.

Cheers:

[MrZM]

My son was born in a government hospital, no problems with it.

There are some very good government hospitals around Thailand.

[naboo]

For a number of reasons, my daughter was born at Maharaj hospital in Chiang Mai - the biggest and best equipped government hospital in northern Thailand. As Sheryl said, as the father I was not allowed to be present for the birth (emergency C-Section). My daughter came out of theater and the doctor congratulated me on having my first son. He didn't know the English word for daughter.

In a government hospital, I'm concerned that you would feel very alone and confused with people around you struggling to speak English.. Private hospitals in Chiang Mai have set options available for 20,000-50,000B. The private hospital will make sure you understand what is going on.

If you do go government - tip - get the baby registered on a Tabian Baan before you leave hospital, you can then sort out the 30B health insurance scheme and pay 25B for your baby's care in hospital (this is what we paid instead of 6000B when our daughter was born premature and looked after in an incubator for 2 days).

[Frances141]

Hi there,

Thank you all for your replies to my post. Its so good to finally get some advise on this! I forgot to add in my first post that my country of nationality is New Zealand. The care here seems very good so far (and free) so even I find myself questioning why I would then go over to Thailand to have my baby in a hospital which by the sounds of it will probably have limited English and facilities. the main reason is because we definitely want to settle in Thailand and with my partners visa running out in a month it makes more sense that both of us go over together (and stay there) rather then paying for flights and visas backwards and forwards, also I am finding it hard to find a job so I don't know if I/we can afford to stay here anyway:/ in Thailand my partner will be able to start working again, probably earning more than the small amount I am now.. if I was to stay here in new Zealand that would mean having be apart from my partner for atleast five months (unless we can start saving more money and apply for another visa..) at a time that seems so important to be together as a family.. its both of our first times having a baby so its a pretty big deal for us! I would move back into my dads house, set up everything temporarily for the baby and then hopefully if all goes well return to Thailand again when the baby is around 8weeks (dreading the flight though...) and then set up everything again at our place. although this option is probably the most sensible one, it just seems like it would be such an unsettling time dealing with the separation, temporily living somewhere and then flying across the world a few weeks later. and I don't think the stress is good for the me or the baby..!!! being in Thailand before hand means being able to get everything all set up ready and 'nesting' as they put it, and hopefully being a hell of a lot more relaxed.

although in saying all this I only want what's best for the baby so its so good to read all of your replies, theres definalty a few things I hadn't even considered before too..

my thai is very limited so hearing that my partner probably wont be able to come in the room with me really freaks me out.. I am young(ish) (will be turning 21 around the time the baby is due) and don't have the greatest amount of life experience and defiantly not about babies or birth so I think your very right Sheryl when you say this will probably make it more scary not knowing what's going on and being unable to communicate with the medical staff, ive also heard the more worried and stressed you are at the time of labour can mean a lot more difficulties and complications in birth.... does anyone know if anyone else would be allowed in the room? eg a friend or relative? its absolutely vital to me that I have someone for support, especially someone that understands me and can speak thai..

my partner seems to think that he will be able to show his ID card and it will be free / the same price as a thai person giving birth, this would be ideal if it was true but I get the feeling its not that easy and say if labour and the baby had to be incubated for a great deal of time the bill could go through the roof if there was some problem and we couldn't get s/he on the thai health insurance shceme in time.. if we were to go private and there was problems after the birth that meant the baby had to be treated for more than a few days obviously it is not covered in the birth package bill and it would all come at an extra price, am I right? I also worry about leaving the hospital with a massive bill much higher than we expected..

our local hospital is Pai hospital in mae hong son province, the main docter there is meant to be very good with a high level of English but the hospital itself seems quite small and basic, I have heard quite good things about them and I am sure they've done a fair few births there so I have no doubt they know what they are doing I am just confused about what would happen in case of an emergency c section, I may be wrong but I really wouldn't think theyd have a theatre room there (and not one that id feel comfortable being cut open in..) and chiang mai is at least 21/2 - 3 hours away?? this is what scares me the most....

sorry about my ramblings, I hope this reply hasnt sounded too confusing!

Thankyou:)

[nottocus]

My wife had our son in a hospital in Laos.

When I checked it out a few months later it was an eye opener.....cats running round the corridors, big spiders on the walls.

Still, all worked out for the best.

[Gsxrnz]

You mention visa issues in regard to your Thai partner living in NZ. You do realise that you will have visa issues living in Thailand as well? Complicated to explain your options as they will change if/when you marry etc,

It's probably a damn site easier for your partner to get permanent residency in NZ, stay there to have your child, and then consider relocating to Thailand at a later date. If he has NZ residency he can always go back there at any time in the future.

With the relative generosity of the NZ government in regard to benefits and medical care, I'd suggest it would be financially beneficial to have your child in NZ.

[mike123ca]

My wife and I conceived both our children in South Korea. I asked her if she wanted to give birth in Korea or Thailand. Her choice was Thailand. It is reassuring as a patient to be able to speak to the nurses and doctors. I don't like going to Thai hospitals because of my poor Thai speaking skills.

The last child was born at Sapphasit hospital (Government hospital). I paid (500,000 won) I'm guessing that was worth about 15,000 baht. Her doctor allowed unlimited visits to his private clinic and was on-call for the delivery. After the delivery,.she is provided a private room at the hospital for the next three days.

side note - when we had the 2nd child her private room wasn't ready for to be occupied. She was moved into the "general ward" for mother's who gave birth. It was one big room with 50 beds and next to no privacy. To me, it was a disturbing sight, small children running up and down the room. Some women screaming, but no one to help. It was not a nice place for a recovery.

If you have money, Thai hospitals can be nice, but if you plan to use the 30 baht plan given to Thai then expect a big drop in care. I don't know anything about New Zealand hospitals, but I think they might be a better choice. Anyway, i wish you and baby well.

[chatette]

Frances, I also experienced the frustration of failing to find the information you're looking for when I was pregnant in Bankgok.

In the event, my daughter was born at Pra Mongkut Klao (King Mongkut) hospital, a government (military-run) facility in Bangkok. The doctor spoke English and I had a private delivery room with my husband present and stayed in a private a/c room afterward for a day or so. The price was extremely reasonable compared with the relatively enormous cost of similar services at Thai private hospitals, many of which are likely to whoosh you off for a cesarean whether you need one or not.

On the basis of my experience, I would most definitely recommend a govt hospital, but you really need to do your research to find one that is accommodative of your circumstances as not all will/can offer a private labor room or allow a partner or friend to accompany you. Given the nurses likely won't speak much English, you really will want someone to be with you to help you through the labor process.

In the event that an emergency C section were required, be assured that Thai doctors are more likely to intervene than not so you would not be left until the last minute, so to speak. The op itself is quite straight forward so you should not be unduly worried about it.

I suggest you contact the Childbirth and Breastfeeding Foundation of Thailand, an NGO, to help you identify hospitals that might suit you. It does a lot of work with such hospitals in helping them manage birthing plans, natural birthing processes, formula-free environments, etc. Meena Sobsamai is the CBFT coordinator. I don't have her contacts but a good starting point is Bangkok Mothers & Babies International, which also distributes a CBFT-produced book entitled Guide to Having a Baby in Bangkok. It has a good website with contacts.

I have several friends whose children were born in govt. hospitals in Bangkok and beyond and none of them had a bad experience.

Hope the above helps.

[ava15]

Good point raised above.

At our private hospital in bkk, it did feel as though the doc was pushing for a c-section (kept bringing it up in the weeks before the birth)

No idea if the docs get a % from every operation procedure they carry out or not.

[David48]

A good read posted recently about giving birth in Thailand ... having-a-baby-at-chumphon-hospital

[Sheryl]

Dear Frances,

1. At a government hospital you will not be able to have anyone with you in the delivery room.

One of the reasons for this is that there are often more than 1 woman in the delivery suite at a time so the privacy of the other women in a factor. Plus, the medical staff are just unused to the idea. Actually even in a private hospital you may have to shop around for a doc willing to allow the father to be present, but as long as the doc agrees can be done.

2. Re the payment situation it is a little ambiguous. YOU will not be eligible for free care, as you are not a Thai citizen. Full stop - for this or anything else (something you need to consider with regard to living in Thailand. You'll need health insurance for yourself) . However your baby, once born, granted Thai citizenship (see last paragraph) and registered and in a household registration book, will be eligible for free care.

I am not sure how that translates with regard to delivery. I think -- not sure-- that your delivery will not be free but any care needed by the newborn thereafter will be. But perhaps others could clarify. Most of the posts so far have involved Thai mothers and farang fathers rather than your situation.

3. You should not deliver at the Pai Hospital! It is a small district hospital with limited facilities, and would have to transfer you elsewhere if anything went wrong, you needed a c-section, the baby had difficulties etc. That adds to the risk. It is also small and unlikely to have a gyn/ob specialist. in many district hospitals the deliveries are handled by nurses as there is often only a few doctors on staff, sometimes just 1 or 2. I am not crtiicizing Pai, I'm sure it is is fine for the level it is, but I would strongly discourage anyone from delivering at any district hospital. You should go to the provincial hospital in Mae Hong Son.

Routine well baby care, immunizations and so forth will be fine to do at Pai.

This link will take you to a thread explaining how the public health system i n Thailand is organized http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/615461-the-thai-public-health-system/

You are really between a rock and a hard place in that it seems your choices are between having your baby in alien surroundings with staff who don't speak English on the one hand and a prolonged separation from the father on the other. I would suggest that if there is any way to arrange for both of you to remain in NZ until after the birth you do that so that you can have what you need -- delivery in a hospital that won't look too unfamiliar to you and is equipped to handle anything that might arise, staffed by English speaking personnel and your partner at your side. Yes it may cost something but it will be well worth it. And the cost will be at least partially offset by getting the delivery free which as mentioned is likely not going to be the case in Thailand since you are not a Thai citizen.

By the way, if you do not marry then you may need to establish paternity through legal means before your child will qualify for Thai nationality (and with it, free health care). Others can advise better on this.

[chatette]

Sheryl, No quibbles with your advise to Francis other than the first point.

Not all govt hospitals bar/don't have facilities for partners/companions in the delivery room. You do need to check with each hospital. Please do check my posting above and reference to Childbirth and Breastfeeding Foundation of Thailand on this.

My daughter was born at a govt hospital, King Mongkut in Bangkok, and we had a private delivery room with my husband present for the duration.

Also, quite correct to note that the baby of a non-Thai unmarried mother wouldn't automatically qualify for Thai citizenship -- and thus health-care cover in the public system.

It may be worth considering a district office registration of marriage beforehand as this would be considerably easier and cheaper than the DNA testing required to confirm paternity. Also, should you have a change of heart at any time, registered marriages in Thailand are very easy to annul while the citizenship will remain.

[Sheryl]

Large tertyiary government facilities like King Mongkut in Bkk are an exception. Government hospitals at provincial level and below do not have any private delivery suites. They will have private rooms for staying in before/after but not for the delivery itself.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Without a marriage registered in Thailand the child will not be unlikely to have citizenship or free health care in it's early years.

For free health care you would need the Thai father to take the birth form from the Thai hospital to the Amphur office with his, Tabian Baan book, ID, your passport, his ID card, proof of marriage registered in Thailand.

This could be done the next working day after the birth.

But his costs, assuming birth normal, will be a fraction of the mother's costs.

Better to get married immediately, have the baby in NZ.

Register the birth and get a Thai birth certificate at the Thai Embassy in NZ.

Come to Thailand after.

Edited July 10, 2013 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Sheryl]

Frances, I think he's right.

I hadn't even thought of the logistics of ensuring the baby has NZ citizenship as well, but a birth in NZ will automatically see to that.