New pricing policy at Queen Sirikit hospital Sattahip?

[n210mp]

Been going to this hospital for the last ten years or so and been highly satisfied with both the friendliness of the staff and the skill of the Doctors but this last week have had a bitter surprise with the hospitals pricing policy.

recently had a bit of a scare with skin cancer and because of the relationship of the past years with this hospital and the fact they have a resident dermatologist decided to go there for treatment ETC..

I met the young lady Doctor Dermatologist on the 28 Th of last month who seemed a little cool but no problem she examined me and said that I need a biopsy on at least one if not two lesions on my arm, the other blemishes she said were possibly eczema .

it was arranged that I would go on the 9 nth yesterday for a biopsy

So I arrived yesterday bright and early for the procedure before 8 0 am and was seen at 11 0 am by the Doctor/surgeon who like the Dermatologist previously very cool and in his case could not make any eye contact

Now I think that I am a normal sort of chap who can tell when there is something going on in the back ground of any given "normal" situation and then the surprise!

The surgeon informed me that the "operation" would not be done today but on the 29 Th of this month, I said that I was informed that it would be done today. "No I only operate on Tuesdays" he said with what seemed to be a bit of churlishness and accompanied snarl ( I do not exaggerate) and that was it interview ended finished.

OK I reasoned to myself , maybe it was an un-customary "bad attitude doctor day at the hospital.

The invoice was duly given to us and this is a summary

The "operation" for biopsy of one lesion 8000K Baht

separate issues

Blood test for the Dermatologist 6500K Baht

The above cost do not include any of the Doctor fees or drugs up to this point

A friend of mine last month had a similar procedure for a biopsy on his back and the cost was under 3000K Baht with 2200K Baht for the blood test

I feel that maybe it is a bit paranoid of me to assume that the Doctors common attitude were borne of a knowledge of some new pricing policy detrimental to foreigners but it does seem a bit too coincidental

I have accepted that their policy of increasing medical cost by 50% over Thai cost for Johnny Foreigner was somehow justified because of the Thai government hospitals are to a degree I think subsidised but these typical increases are just to much bitter medicine for me at least to swallow

I have noticed from my experience in Thailand generally that when there is something a little wrong or cannot be openly discussed without confrontation some Thai people go into this sullen or unfriendly mode of dealing with Farangs

Anyone with similar experiences lately of this hospital?

[lopburi3]

How large an area did these cover? Is this actually a wide margin surgery removal and a test after - or just the normal scrap test? I suspect you are having full surgery removal procedure - which can indeed be expensive (I just paid 30k for plastic surgeon removal/testing/drugs/OR/followup here in a private hospital in Bangkok - after laser removal and positive biopsy).

The sad part is most such spots could just be treated with liquid nitrogen in our home countries - at much less cost and chance for complications. Freezing is very effective but few doctors or hospitals offer or have any experience.

[Guderian]

The sad part is most such spots could just be treated with liquid nitrogen in our home countries - at much less cost and chance for complications. Freezing is very effective but few doctors or hospitals offer or have any experience.

Yes indeed. I get sprayed with liquid nitrogen every year at the Bangkok Hospital in Pattaya. I had it done two weeks ago, around a dozen or so sites on my face and three on my arms and legs. Cost was 5500 Baht, much cheaper to do that once a year than try and get them removed surgically.

[banglay]

This Morning 10/9/15 I to when to Bangkok Hospital Pattaya I saw the very nice and professional Dr Anna ..she did a thorough examination of my entire body to check for any suspect skin anomalies..she treated several areas with liquid nitrogen .....and advised me to keep a eye on one spot in particular (for any changes )

Total charge for the excellent service from a well respected Dr was only ฿4505 .....money well spent in my opinion ....better to be safe than sorry and have a whopping bill and or surgery/ chemo at a later date .

I go once a year and paying ฿4505 for " peace of mind" is well worth it .

[LukDod]

But, please note that liquid nitrogen doesn't always completely destroy the basal cell.

There can be times when re-grow and need additional treatment.

[n210mp]

How large an area did these cover? Is this actually a wide margin surgery removal and a test after - or just the normal scrap test? I suspect you are having full surgery removal procedure - which can indeed be expensive (I just paid 30k for plastic surgeon removal/testing/drugs/OR/followup here in a private hospital in Bangkok - after laser removal and positive biopsy).

The sad part is most such spots could just be treated with liquid nitrogen in our home countries - at much less cost and chance for complications. Freezing is very effective but few doctors or hospitals offer or have any experience.

No my faith in this establishment has gone further down the drain after hearing about the experiences of some of my other acquaintances who have had similar and in fact more biopsies at the same time for 50% of the price I was quoted

The size of the hard wart like presence on the back of my right hand is about 2/10 tenths of an inch in diameter and the "operation" was in fact for a biopsy only

Talking to another friend who read this thread, he said that He recently went to Pattaya memorial hospital and had a biopsy and removal and the cost 4000K Baht

Edited September 10, 2015 by n210mp

[questionsreplies]

8000 thb seems to high...

[lopburi3]

Your biopsy appears to have included surgery to remove so can not be compared with a normal scrape biopsy (which here in Bangkok runs 1,000 baht for less than 1cm size).

[dennis123]

I did an STD blood test in Bangkok Pattaya hospital and paid around 4000 baht the first time.

In the weeks after their was a news article that the army would deal with absurd pricing of commercial hospitals, three months after that I had myself tested again and only paid 2000 baht.

I don't know how much an STD blood test differs from a blood test for your purpose but 6500 baht sounds very high, especially for a government hospital.

[Langsuan Man]

I guess the subject of the thread, which was the increase pricing at Queen Sirikit, has been lost in medical discourse on melanoma treatments at other hospitals

Why is it impossible for all these keyboard warriors to stay on point ?

[lopburi3]

It really is not clear what the blood test was for - it has never been required for my wide margin surgical removals (which were performed in full OR).

[WitawatWatawit]

Some of my neighbors use QS Hospital, but this is the first I have heard of a price increase. For perspective, I recently had the nitro treatment at Memorial - cost was 2,000 baht. The doctor would not treat some areas, saying they clearly needed surgical removal and biopsy - that would have cost 6,000 baht. So be careful about demanding nitro treatment - the problem areas that the Memorial doctor baulked at turned out to be basal cell carcinomas, but benign.

PS: My nitro treatment at Memorial was 2 months ago.

[steve187]

I did an STD blood test in Bangkok Pattaya hospital and paid around 4000 baht the first time.

In the weeks after their was a news article that the army would deal with absurd pricing of commercial hospitals, three months after that I had myself tested again and only paid 2000 baht.

I don't know how much an STD blood test differs from a blood test for your purpose but 6500 baht sounds very high, especially for a government hospital.

its not a government hospital, but a navy hospital.

Thai's have to pay there as well, but of course at a reduced rate.

[kaorop]

Slightly off topic

How old are all you guys with suspected melanomas? And why did you think they needed checking?

My doc at home said that unless there were changes in moles/spots etc they were nothing to worry about.

On topic

IMO, Sirikit has gone downhill fast over the last 5 years as more and more farang from pattaya begun to use it.

[topt]

OP for comparison I went 6 weeks ago to Phyathai Siracha and had 2 excisions/biopsies. As they were on the side of my face the dermatologist said the plastic surgeon needed to do them. Cost on the day for everything was less than 12,000 baht.

[WitawatWatawit]

Slightly off topic

How old are all you guys with suspected melanomas? And why did you think they needed checking?

My doc at home said that unless there were changes in moles/spots etc they were nothing to worry about.

On topic

IMO, Sirikit has gone downhill fast over the last 5 years as more and more farang from pattaya begun to use it.

I'm 64 now, but I had my first skin cancer removed more than 35 years ago. It was a basal cell carcinoma, not melanoma (although I have had a couple of that variety). I would get rid of your "doc at home". This is not something to mince words about. Anything unusual, like persistent bleeding, see a skin doctor. Pronto.

[kaorop]

Slightly off topic

How old are all you guys with suspected melanomas? And why did you think they needed checking?

My doc at home said that unless there were changes in moles/spots etc they were nothing to worry about.

On topic

IMO, Sirikit has gone downhill fast over the last 5 years as more and more farang from pattaya begun to use it.

I'm 64 now, but I had my first skin cancer removed more than 35 years ago. It was a basal cell carcinoma, not melanoma (although I have had a couple of that variety). I would get rid of your "doc at home". This is not something to mince words about. Anything unusual, like persistent bleeding, see a skin doctor. Pronto.

Thanks for the reply, I'm reasonably careful about that stuff having grown up in oz on the beach, any thing like bleeding I would be look into.

No, he was very good and comprehensive, as an example, his consultations would last more than twice the national average, but of course he was always way behind schedule.

Good health.

[elgordo38]

How large an area did these cover? Is this actually a wide margin surgery removal and a test after - or just the normal scrap test? I suspect you are having full surgery removal procedure - which can indeed be expensive (I just paid 30k for plastic surgeon removal/testing/drugs/OR/followup here in a private hospital in Bangkok - after laser removal and positive biopsy).

The sad part is most such spots could just be treated with liquid nitrogen in our home countries - at much less cost and chance for complications. Freezing is very effective but few doctors or hospitals offer or have any experience.

No my faith in this establishment has gone further down the drain after hearing about the experiences of some of my other acquaintances who have had similar and in fact more biopsies at the same time for 50% of the price I was quoted

The size of the hard wart like presence on the back of my right hand is about 2/10 tenths of an inch in diameter and the "operation" was in fact for a biopsy only

Talking to another friend who read this thread, he said that He recently went to Pattaya memorial hospital and had a biopsy and removal and the cost 4000K Baht

A friend of mine had 2 done at a well known hospital in Chiang Mai. Cut out biopsy stitching and bandage 11,000 bahts which he found to be a bit rich.

[KittenKongRedux]

Regardless of what the nature or class of the establishment is, or of what they are selling, I think that it is always a good idea here to fix the price before agreeing to anything. I always do so when possible, though admittedly if I was brought into a hospital unconscious or in extreme pain I would just have to take my chances.

[DisparateDan]

I have had various skin conditions treated for the last 50 years. (Africa and Thailand.)

The liquid nitrogen was used for solar keratitis ( a forerunner of skin cancer), This I would have done annually, about 3000 baht per time at Bumrungrad.

I have lost count how many biopsies and subsequent surgeries to remove Squamous Cell Cancer from mainly my ear area.Mostly at QS.

Since the ratio of waiting time at QS is roughly 5 hours to 1 minute consultation time, I once tried a Pattaya hospital. The doc quoted Baht 3000 for

a procedure, some ablation rather than cutting, I agreed and was sat in another room and some cream applied to the area, 15 minutes later a nurse came in and showed me a calculator with Baht 6000 displayed. I made my excuses and left.

Also a melanoma (the killer skin cancer) at Lerdsin Bangkok (chaotic consultation area of stacked ship containers, but world class surgeries), spotted by my doc at Bumrungrad. They were very serious with follow ups including Lung X-rays..

The system for biopsies at QS is a mystery, sometimes you paid up front at the clinic for stomach conditions ? and invariably the biopsy had not arrived for the next consultation (1 month).

Alternatively payment was made at the surgical area. I recall most biopsies were Baht 1000. I did not pay for the surgery as I have Social Security.

I have also used Aldara cream for blemishes that I suspect are getting worse, it is very expensive but effective and like many medications the list of possible side effects is frightening. I requested this at QS but unavailable.

Going off topic now...

In my wanderings around QS for a 7/11 coffee etc I would chat to various farangs, the last one was on a gurney apparently abandoned and he told me that he had had recent surgery on his knee for about 30,000 baht and was awaiting a redo which he said was going to cost 10 times that sum, perhaps he was delirious.

Another guy with the most frightening affliction to his calf/ foot/ankle (the after effects of a flesh eating bacteria) that anyone would not like to see, was waiting with all and sundry and in some distress. I mentioned that he should go to the ER. However they were only admitting stretcher cases, and he had to get a diagnosis first. I had noticed that the invariably packed ER was mostly empty recently. It seemed some commonsense triage was needed.

Seeing the hundreds of Caucasians toasting themselves in the tropics, I think Plastic Surgery is the way to go for any aspiring surgeon looking for a secure client base.

Edited September 10, 2015 by DisparateDan

[n210mp]

It really is not clear what the blood test was for - it has never been required for my wide margin surgical removals (which were performed in full OR).

I think this part of my OP may clarify Lop

"The "operation" for biopsy of one lesion 8000K Baht

separate issues

Blood test for the Dermatologist 6500K Baht"

The dermatologist wanted to find out what was happening in my blood that may have been responsible for the eczema type rashes that I also recent have suffering from

Didn't possibly make it clear enough that the blood test wasn't asked for by the surgeon but I did clarify with the surgeon that he was in fact only doing a biopsy but in all fairness his command of English and my poor Thai makes it feasable that indeed it is within the realms of Confucius that he could have been doing a biopsy and the removal

Edited September 11, 2015 by n210mp

[chakatee]

Some of my neighbors use QS Hospital, but this is the first I have heard of a price increase. For perspective, I recently had the nitro treatment at Memorial - cost was 2,000 baht. The doctor would not treat some areas, saying they clearly needed surgical removal and biopsy - that would have cost 6,000 baht. So be careful about demanding nitro treatment - the problem areas that the Memorial doctor baulked at turned out to be basal cell carcinomas, but benign.

PS: My nitro treatment at Memorial was 2 months ago.

Benign basal cell carcinomas, that's a new one ...