Reviews on Samitivej hospital

[bbabythai]

Have you ever used Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital. Please post any good or bad reviews here

Most interested if you can comment where your wife had pregnancy screening tests.

many thanks

[kurnell]

We were going to Samitivej and planned for the msz to give birth there and asked the doctor for a package. She told us that the management didn't want to offer packages as they were not looking for that sort of business anymore. We said thanks, and we would be moving on. The staff then warned us that this would not be a good idea as we had a good doctor and should remain with the hospital. We took a package with Rama 9 and Samitivej called us and told us that they changed their mind and now offered packages, but we had already made a commitment. Rama 9 was fine, but not great. Our 2nd was born at Samitivej Sri Nakarin and we thought the service was better than Rama 9 and Samitivej Sukhumvit.

I have had good and poor service in Samitivej Sukhumvit before and if I had a choice I would not use them.

[Sheryl]

You'll find a full range of replies since it will depend on the doctor.

Personally I like the place as a hospital (better in fact than any other I've tried) but I only use it when the best doctor for my particular need at the time is based there.

One plus as a generalization is that the docs spend a fair amount of time with each patient, more than say Bumrungrad even if it is the same doctor (as some do have hours at both), seems to be more pressure on doctors at Bumrungrad to see patients quickly (though how they respond to that pressure will vary with the doc).

I know several people who had delivery at Samitivej and were happy with it. But it is certainly more expensive than many other choices, a consideration if paying out of pocket.

Samitivej Sukhumvit does BTW offer delivery packages (http://www.samitivejhospitals.com/price_package.aspx?sortid=6&sort=type&lid=en) and always has AFAIK, I suspect the poster who reported being told otherwise was misinformed. The doctors are not the best ones to ask re costs and packages.

My advice: shop around for the doctor you want to have do the delivery and base your decision on that. Take into account any special considerations such as how you and your wife feel about c-section vs natural delivery and whether you want to be able to be in the delivery room (not the usual Thai practice so needs a doctor who is comfortable with that arrangement) etc etc. Ditto if you want riooming in (baby with the mother from moment of borth onward rather than off in a nursery). If you want something unusual like a water birth then that will very much reduce the options. (Samitivej offers this, not sure that anywhere else does.) Samitivej also has a western-style birthing center...if your wife is Thai or other Asian this may not matter, but it is very popular with Western women. Although some of the other hospitals come sort of close my impression is that Samitivej Suk has the most authentic of this sort of thing...but again, of concern mainly to Western women, Thais are not very familiar with the idea.

The antenatal screening is pretty much the same wherever.

The only strong caveat I have as regards hospital (other than the western-style birthing center thing) is to be sure it is one with a NICU in case there are any complications with the baby. And if you are paying out of pocket, consider what the NICU charges can be. (Sky high everywhere but worse at the pricier hospitals). Odds are no need but it does happen and cannot be predicted in advance. None of the delivery packages, anywhere, include treatment of complications.

[WitawatWatawit]

This was 23 years ago - infant daughter got pneumonia, so we took her to Samitivej. Doc was a treasure - Dr Piyanat (imagine she's retired now). Can't speak highly enough of this wonderful woman and her staff. Five days in hospital, bill came to 17,000 baht. We used the hospital for years after that without a single complaint.

[kriswillems]

My wife had a c-section in Samitivet Sriracha 6 years ago. The doctor was very good. It was a package. It costed 35000B. She could stay in a beautiful room with seaview.

Taking into account the quality of the service and the reputation of the doctor, I think it was a very competitive price.

The only thing which really disappointed me was the amount of unnecessary bogus treatments they try to sell, like stem cell extraction from cord blood or 4D echos (whatever that might be).

She took only one extra thing. That is, she had her appendix cut for 3000 baht extra.

She had to go home after 3 days, extra days that are not in the package are quiet expensive.

In the first 3 days my wife could not eat, so at the moment she went back home she hadn't eaten anything yet and she was weak. Once at home she recovered very quickly.

As soon as the baby is delivered they will try to sell you a vaccination/health check package for the baby and/or follow-up for the mother : don't buy it! It's much too expensive.

In fact, I think they get profit from this and not the delivery of the baby.

In other words:

- the package is really competitive and good.

- You should pick a doctor with a good reputation.

- don't buy any unnecessary extras they might try to sell you (like 3D or 4D echo-graph, stem cell extraction, appendix removal?...)

- take you baby elsewhere for health checks and vaccination (or anything else that's not in the package).

- extra days that are not included in the package are not cheap.

Our experience with private hospitals in general is not that good, but whenever we took a package, we were always happy.

For everything else we went to Samitivet outside the package we were not so happy.

I think they really can't compete with a government hospital is it comes to price/quality.

My mother went there with torn cruciate ligaments and the specialist misdiagnosed her (he said there was no problem and sent her to the massage department).

So my mother walked around for three more weeks without treatment in which she completely destroyed her knee (it's still not better after 3 years).

Once back in my country the doctor couldn't believe the specialist did not see the problem.

Edited April 8, 2014 by kriswillems

[kurnell]

You'll find a full range of replies since it will depend on the doctor.

Personally I like the place as a hospital (better in fact than any other I've tried) but I only use it when the best doctor for my particular need at the time is based there.

One plus as a generalization is that the docs spend a fair amount of time with each patient, more than say Bumrungrad even if it is the same doctor (as some do have hours at both), seems to be more pressure on doctors at Bumrungrad to see patients quickly (though how they respond to that pressure will vary with the doc).

I know several people who had delivery at Samitivej and were happy with it. But it is certainly more expensive than many other choices, a consideration if paying out of pocket.

Samitivej Sukhumvit does BTW offer delivery packages (http://www.samitivejhospitals.com/price_package.aspx?sortid=6&sort=type&lid=en) and always has AFAIK, I suspect the poster who reported being told otherwise was misinformed. The doctors are not the best ones to ask re costs and packages.

My advice: shop around for the doctor you want to have do the delivery and base your decision on that. Take into account any special considerations such as how you and your wife feel about c-section vs natural delivery and whether you want to be able to be in the delivery room (not the usual Thai practice so needs a doctor who is comfortable with that arrangement) etc etc. Ditto if you want riooming in (baby with the mother from moment of borth onward rather than off in a nursery). If you want something unusual like a water birth then that will very much reduce the options. (Samitivej offers this, not sure that anywhere else does.) Samitivej also has a western-style birthing center...if your wife is Thai or other Asian this may not matter, but it is very popular with Western women. Although some of the other hospitals come sort of close my impression is that Samitivej Suk has the most authentic of this sort of thing...but again, of concern mainly to Western women, Thais are not very familiar with the idea.

The antenatal screening is pretty much the same wherever.

The only strong caveat I have as regards hospital (other than the western-style birthing center thing) is to be sure it is one with a NICU in case there are any complications with the baby. And if you are paying out of pocket, consider what the NICU charges can be. (Sky high everywhere but worse at the pricier hospitals). Odds are no need but it does happen and cannot be predicted in advance. None of the delivery packages, anywhere, include treatment of complications.

Would you like the name of the doctor who informed me that the they did not offer packages anymore? She is fairly well known and came recommended. Misinformed? Since I was in the room being told face to face that they did no offer packages anymore I don't see how I could have misinterpreted this, nor the sudden turn around when we took our file and moved to another hospital only to be told that they had decided to go back to offering packages. Pretty black and white to me. If I was cynical, I would suggest that as we had not booked a package until the last few weeks, the doctor thought she could get away with telling a pork pie hoping that a) we wouldn't check or we would not change hospitals at the last hour and just pay up. Loss of face and all that.

[Sheryl]

Misinformed = you were told an incorrect thing.

It in no way implies that you misinterpreted anything.

[lopburi3]

Doctors often do not know hospital package prices in our experience. Normally they ask a staff nurse but even then it may change or be wrong or different procedure in minds of each. Also suspect a doctor could opt out of performing such if they so desired.

[geworthomd]

Owned by Bangkok Hospital, this is their boutique brand of hospital. Locals call it the rich people’s hotel. Patients dress well inside the Chinatown branch I went to for a facelift. Inside, the facilities are more like a hotel. Cold pack gels are already in the refrigerator, as well as drinks. The sofa is comfortable to sleep on. Nursing is exceptional. I give it 5 stars.