The Where, Why & How Much of Choosing the Right Hospital [S6.E47]

Greg and Ed discuss an important conundrum facing expats and tourists in Thailand: When sick or injured, should you go to a private Thai hospital or a public one? The difference in cost is substantial, typically somewhere between a factor of three and ten. For major procedures you probably want to spring for private care, if you can, but for ‘standard’ things like stitches and sprains, is a public hospital okay?

Greg begins with the very recent story of his son needing stitches for a split lip. Greg and his wife got treatment for his son at Bumrungrad Hospital, which is known for its international standard of care, but also for its high cost, especially in Thailand. A split lip might seem fairly mundane and more appropriate for a government hospital, but there were other factors that necessitated special care. Luckily, the treatment went fine and all is well, but Greg’s experience highlights the difficult choices that expats face when it comes to medical care.

Ed recounts a scary story of his wife getting into a motorbike accident and being taken to a nearby public hospital for emergency treatment. But due to the seriousness of her injury, his wife was going to need months of physical therapy with no guarantee of a full recovery. Ed decided to pull the ripcord and move to Bangkok Hospital, another facility renowned for quality care and high prices. At BH, Ed noted that the customer service was extremely high level with LOTS of handholding and explaining, which eased his anxiety considerably. But did his wife actually get better medical care? Ed is not really sure about that, but the care certainly FELT better. 

Last, Greg does a quick interview with friend of the podcast Bangkok Pat, who unfortunately was recently bitten by a dog and thus in need of a quick decision on medical care. In his case, the proximity and convenience of a private hospital (and its higher cost) won out over the uncertainty of a government one, but he’s not sure he’d make the same call if it happened again.

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