My wife had surgery at Mass General in the US. Her recovery was not going well so we went to Thailand. Stayed near Bumrungrad for a month and saw doctors there to get treatment. They were so helpful efficient and KIND! After a month we went to Chonburi and also visited Samivitej in Chonburi a couple of times. They too, were very helpful and a little bit cheaper than Bumrungrad. Since we came back to the US over a month ago we have had only one doctor appointment and are still waiting to follow up with specialists for her care. The system in the US is broken. Thailand does it right.
thanks for sharing your story with us Mike and I'm glad to hear that you had positive experience here in Thailand. I wish your wife's quick recovery! : )
Everything is expensive in the U.S., but I'm surprised that no one told you that you can get low cost insurance or medical care for college students. Depending on what U.S. city you were in, as a student, you could have gone to a free clinic. Did you know that the beautiful hospital that you went to, is the number one hospital in the world? Thank you for sharing your experience, I can't wait to get to Thailand!
Thank you for sharing the info with me! :) I wish I had known about low cost insurance back in college (I think I was too young to understand back then hehe). Happy lunar new year to you and wish you a year full of abundance, joy and great health Tracey! :)
Over the past 7 years I have had a lot of advice regarding hospitals in Bangkok, but with your video I had the best advice yet. Thanks a lot, I am coming in two weeks to Bangkok to check up my health. Thanks again
Thank you for your kind comment and I'm happy to hear that my video was helpful for you Abdulelah :) I hope your health check in Bangkok goes smoothly and the result comes out clean
Very useful, informative, and well done. So refreshing to have a RU-vidr in Bangkok that is really helpful instead of all these guys who just walk around filming the city. Thank you. Now subscribed.
Thank you so much for your comment, and yes this also is one of my 3 favorite hospitals! There is a new one that just opened last year called the Med Park hospital, you should check that one out too. It looks like the Apple Store : )
Thanks for the information. I looked up the web site and was surprise to see the Military Tricare was listed as accepted insurance. I'm in my early 70's and think about living there for maybe a year. Health insurance in my age group its expensive and only a few insurances take people in there 70's. So thanks for the info. Mahalo and Aloha
I'm glad my video was helpful for you! Are you from Hawaii? (I spent one summer in Oahu to study for the SAT's and loved the culture there). Anyways, if you need a good insurance agency, I know a great one based in Thailand and they are the ones who found me the France based insurance. If you have any questions, you can email me musichef.tj@gmail.com Aloha and happy holidays to you and your family! TJ-
Thanks for the very informative video and for the tips! You are right about the medical insurance, hard to find package that includes outpatient coverage in Thailand unless you pay very high premium... :( I should get one soon too!
Thank you for your message. For medical insurance, my advice is to find an insurance agent (when you google, many of them show up) and also Thai Visa Forum website (I think they changed their name to ASEAN Now). Good luck K!
Excellent video 😬. Thank you! I had a small surgical procedure at Bumrungrad requiring an overnight stay. The day after the op I didn’t want to check out 😂🥂
Thank you Luca! And I totally agree, my friend also had a small operation done last year and stayed over night, it really felt like staying at a hotel resort :)
Thanks for your sharing medical Informations about world class hospitals in BKK. I have been to Bumrungrad Hospital last two years ago for helping my friend to get treatment. It was fantastic.
Thank you! I can't believe there isn't more about medical tourism on RU-vid. I'm thinking of excess skin removal and don't know where is the best place to go.
I was also surprised, this hospital tour video I did was helpful for so many people. Maybe I can do more information (about expat life in Bangkok/Thailand) videos including some other medical related ones next few years.
I really liked the video. I'm getting ready to go to the same hospital for a complete checkup. I watched your video for research on my trip. You do a great job! I'll be in Bangkok Dec 4-10 this year 2022. Thanks for your content.
thank you for your kind encouragement! I'm glad this was useful for you :) Hope your checkup went smoothly and everything is fine. good health is the most important
You can watch my other popular stories 🔺ELEPHANT SANCTUARY (Private Tour experience) - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cvIgoV2Cbdk.html 🔺Top 3 Luxury Spas in Bangkok ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VkJg_wt4q2s.html 🔺Learning Scuba Diving in Koh Tao -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RhgFdfuiYzc.html I hope this video was useful for you and you can save some money using the tips I provided at the end of the video. I set up different chapters, you can skip to the section that's useful for you :) How much did I pay? (8:58) Best Private Hospitals in Bangkok (11:20) Tips on how to save money (12:30) and remember - Prevention is the Best and Cheapest medicine, better than Cure. Wish you all good health! ขอให้มีสุขภาพที่ดีครับ
Hi. Your video was very welcome as I was supposed to have paid a visit to Bumrungrad last fall but due to the quarantine requirement I waited till now so I will go there on 15 March and have the same exact treatment as you did (bought the voucher package deal last night) and have my teeth checked as well. I booked my hotel to a 5 star Japanese hotel chain near the hospital and will fly business by Finnair from NY round trip which is all affordable. By contrast here in NY a full comprehensive check at Mt. Sinai or NYU Medical is a whopping 6800 US! That figure is my entire cost to Thailand for two weeks, so there's the value. Like you NO MORE US HOSPITALS from me even though I am an American. Bumrungrad will be it from now on. As I live between Tokyo and NY it'll be within reach. Thank you for the video!
Hi Yahya, thank you for your kind comment and for sharing your story :) wow… I did not know similar health check-up costs around 6800 in the U.S. so like you said, it’s like getting a free vacation to Thailand + health check. Hope you have a safe and fun trip + smooth check-up next month. Let me know if you have any questions about Bangkok.
@@TJStories HI TJ Thank you for your encouragement and I will certainly let you how I get on when I arrive and post my results. I just turned 51 and in good health but certainly would like to see what I may have I have not been to see to date. Thank you again.
I had full checkups there twice, now coming back to Thailland. Since they are so expensive compared to the others I am beginning to look for an alternative of high quality.
Sounds like a good idea! I’m also looking to try another hospital for an endoscopy check (I try to do it every 1.5-2 years). Let us know if you find any good alternative :) Have a great weekend!
Actually, I've been wanting to do a topic on a good dental clinic/hospital for awhile. Okay, there is a dental clinic I've been going to in Thonglor, maybe I can make a story about that :)
@@rflo162 ah! of course I remember you Mark and Ruth! you thought I was a Korean actor Steven Yuen or another person hahaha. I miss that time, how have you been, still in Bangkok??
Glad it was helpful for you :) making videos is time consuming / lonely process but if someone finds my stories helpful, that really makes my day, thank you for that! :)
i lived in thailand for years. lived in asia overall for 11yrs as a US citizen. been to bumrunrad, bangkok ect. all very good. i have a good international insurance (CIGNA) but even with that i like to save. except for something serious and you would "the" best then bumrungrad. my experience is that bangkok hosptial is for the most part on par. maybe 15%+ less expensive. yes, my insurance pays it. but i look out for them also. as aspect to keep in mind: the both treat a big amount of foreign patients. i would think, though not sure proably at least 50% are foreigners. so there is a financial aspect. with that you have to ask questions "ahead" of time. especially to the medical procedure process and it's costs. i will leave it to that comment and thought.
thanks for sharing your experience with us @tailwind12 Yes, I agree with you. I do have a good expat insurance as well (France-based one) which covered almost 100% of the fee for my friend's laparoscopic appendictomy, even then, if not for emergency cases, it is a good idea to ask questions and compare prices (of different hospitals) ahead of any treatments that require inpatient care. I should also try out a few other hospitals & dental clinics and make a few videos about my experiences there. welcome for anyone else to comment, discuss and share your experiences here :)
This is so so great! Thank you for sharing the information. I am planning to go to BUmrnagrad and was wondering about medical tourism in Thailand. Your vdo is just what I am looking for. May I ask also how best to find accommodation ie rental condo or apt for 2 weeks? Sth convenient and close to BTS and is Bumgrangrad reachable by BTS? Traffic jam is so scary in Bangkok, right?
Hi Katalina, thanks for your message and I'm glad my video was helpful for you (sorry I was traveling and just read this). most condos will not allow less than 6 month rent, however, you can find some service apartments or hotels nearby (there should be also some airbnb options too but in Thailand, it's not totally legal so I recommend looking into service apartments or any of the 3-4 star hotels nearby with good reviews such as Ad Lib Bangkok / AriyasomVilla etc... (I just used google map to find these few places near the hospital) :)
@@TJStories Sawatdee ka! Thank you for yr kind reply too. Yr mssg got buried by incoming ads so I just saw it. My apology for late response. Will check as u advise. Khob Khun mark!
thank you for your comment, and yes I agree, some of these hospitals are very beautiful and service is top notch :) let's stay healthy so we don't have to use them often hehe
Hi Shika, sorry I just returned back from my 2-week family trip and saw this message. I went to a dental department inside Bumrungrad for crowning work but found the experience to be subpar.... for dental works, I recommend looking for an independent dental clinic that specialize in dental works only. I have only been to Bangkok Smile Dental Clinic for scaling and basic examination, it was decent. My friends highly recommended Dr. Narong Potiket Dental Clinic for dental works so I plan to go there from now on. hope this helps! :)
I’ll be visiting Thailand leaving this Sunday June 11 to August 15 , 2023. My question for you is do I have to make appointment. I’m looking to get everything checked. I have a bad migraine that’s for the thing I like to get treated.
Hi, the Bangkok hospital on the list is for bangkok hospital in Bangkok but I believe they also have a branch in Pattaya (I just checked, they have the same hospital logo)
Local public hospitals are ok, Im older and married to a Thai and have what is known as a pink card this allows you to be registered into the system, I have used it about 3 times now twice with emergency for an infected lung and for trouble after being put on high blood pressure medication, I found best time is very early in the morning for normal visits where you know what to do like I needed a blood test went when they opened but had to wait for the rest of the hospital to open or go in an hour after lunch is usually no waiting, the costs are very low, if need be they can refer you to the next level of public hospital which is in the province capital.
Thanks for sharing your local hospital experience with us, many of us don't have the pink card so it's valuable information that you shared with us. without good health, we don't have chance to spend more time with loved ones. I wish you and your family great health Rodhales! :)
I'm going to Yanhee Hospital for my nose surgery deviated septum breathing issues correction. They are charging 91,000 thai baht for entire Septoplasty surgery. Is their any other hospitals that might be cheaper? Also, I'm doing alternative wellness therapies like Hyperbaric oxygen chamber, Chelation therapy, Ozone therapy, Colon hydro treatment, Salt room therapy, Float tank therapy, Sound wave therapy for erectile dysfunction, Laser hair removal, Hair loss restoration surgery and would love to know which hospital is best cost effective to do all the procedures listed above?!
Hi Sal AL, I've only been to a few private hospitals in Bangkok only for annual physical checks and thus I don't know the specifics about all the procedures you want to get. In terms of price, public hospitals should be cheaper.... I think you would get more helpful answers from theses two expat forums aseannow.com/ thethaiger.com/talk/ and by calling each hospital. It seems like you need many treatments done, if money is not an issue, there is a new super luxury medical retreat place that opened recently called Raxxa something in Bangkok, maybe you can check that out too. Anyways, I hope you find a good value place.
Yes, that's why I'm scared to travel to the US without a travel insurance, however, the US has some of the best cancer treating hospitals in the world I was told :)
sorry I don't work in the medical industry so it would be best to consult other medical professionals. Maybe you can try asking in aseannow.com/forum/50-thailand-local-forums/ (many useful info there) :)
Hi Bill, yes most of the doctors there were trained overseas so should be able to communicate in English (at least from my own experience). They also have free translator service for many languages if you ask at the reception. good luck!
@@TJStories thanks man. Last question, do I have to make appointments in advance ? Or I can just walk up to the hospital and do everything in same day?
@@BillMadison-my1lj Hi Bill, maybe you can try to walk-in but always calling ahead to make an appointment is recommended so that you don't waste your time waiting.
There are more than 30-50 hotels nearby the hospital, if you search for Best hotels around Bumrungrad, you will find a place that suits your budget :) however, Nana neiborhood is known to the locals as the red light district + night life, so if you want to avoid that, I suggest booking a place a bit further out. and if you plan to stay long-term for your treatment, airbnb could be a good option.
Please, please don't just take meds for cholesterol without researching that. If your triglycerides are low and HDL high, that makes a huge difference. Taking drugs just based on LDL cholesterol is not always the best (especially if your other markers are good). Lots of emerging research...
thank you CJ for sharing this information with me. You are right! there's always new research coming out and we are still learning more and more about how our body works. I'm due to do another health check next weekend (in Taiwan this time), I will see how my HDL/LDL/Triglycerdides levels are and ask a few doctors for their opinions. Through exercising more and eating more wholesome diet the past 6 months, I think my LDL and Triglycerdides levels have gone down naturally :) thanks for this!
@@TJStories good for you. Just remember - high LDL isn't a disease. It always amazes me when people take drugs for a disease they don't even know if they have or not.
Hi Mistercantikk, the basic examination package I did (I had a voucher) should be around 6-7000 THB. (8:58) you can check their website www.bumrungrad.com/en/packages/packages-center/health-screening-center (I received my results the next day via email)
제가 알기로는 12월까지는 무격리였는데 (Test and Go), 푸켓 샌드박스 하지 않는 이상, 지금은 격리해야된다고 알고있어요. 근데 2/1일부터 다시 바뀐다고 하는데, 자세한 정보는 여기가서 보면 좋으실거 같아요 :) (Tourism Authority of Thailand) www.tatnews.org 페이스북 그룹에도 업데이트 종종 되고 있으니, 여기 가입하셔서 궁금한점 물어보시면 도움 되실꺼에요 Thailand Reopening 2021 - 2022(FB Group) Richard Barrow in Thailand (FB page) thethaiger.com (English news source)
I got a package so I'm not sure about the individual treatment cost. I did a quick search for you on their website www.bumrungrad.com/en/packages/packages-center/heart-center (searched for EKG, seems like it costs around 900-1000THB, hope it helps!)
Yes, I felt the same way when I was studying in the states. I just wish the hospitals and clinics are more transparent with their pricing up front so that patients can make more informed decision and prepare the necessary fund.
There are government insurance called social security, you pay few hundreds monthly and you can go to selected private or public hospitals with free of charge. Also there is another insurance for local Thais. You can go public hospital in your area and pay only 30 THB (1buck) per bill for any treatments.
What you want to do is find personal recommendation for good DOCTORS. What you DON'T want to do is go to any hospital and see a random doctor who hasn't been recommended to you. That would be very foolish.
I strongly agree with you. for basic health check-ups, a general doctor at any top hospitals should be sufficient but for specific conditions / illness, best to ask around for personal recommendations and do some research on each department and doctors. Also for anything serious, always get 2nd opinion from another specialist doctor. My friend and I went to Bumrungrad Vitalife dermatology and dental department but both were very disappointing experiences... (both the dermatologist and the dentist we saw were incompetent and overcharged us... (after 'consulting' for just 2-3 minutes, no diagnosis / tests, simply referred us to other department and charged us specialist fee + hospital fee (nearly 2000 THB) and we got charged another 2000 THB at the other department they referred us which we thought was ridiculous). However, my friend had a laparoscopic appendectomy at the same hospital and everything went smoothly... so like you said, for special conditions, it really depends on each doctor/department.
Do your research on cholesterol. Especially if your metabolic markers are good, your LDL cholesterol isn’t even worth looking at. The standard of care is at least 10 years behind in knowledge regarding cholesterol and true causes of atherosclerotic lesions - even in Europe and USA. Don’t take a statin. Such drugs offer no benefit but are rife with unfavorable effects.
Hi Dough, thank you for sharing this information with me. High cholesterol runs in almost 2/3 of my family and no matter how much I change my diet (healthier wholesome food) both the LDL and HDL numbers stay high unless I take a statin but I totally agree with you on how our knowledge of cholestrol / the whole mechanism is still poorly understood. The good thing is, after I started exercising more and eating more plant-based, less fatty, less processed food, my triglycerides level went down significantly / LDL also went down. I plan to lower my dose and hopefully get off of statin eventually. Thanks for this! :)
yes, that time I went, I got a voucher from a property developer (business partner) but since then I went there a few other times and paid with my own money and this is my own honest review and personal experience (not sponsored by the hospital). This year, I plan to check out maybe Samitivej or MedPark for my annual health check-up to compare.
I just did a full annual check up at Bangkok hospital and had a very positive experience. They were extremely professional and the facility was top notch. The equipment was state of the art and it was all very organized. It costs me 16,000 baht and took about three hours. They give a voucher for a 150 baht as well to use at the food court when you are done. Afterwards you are debriefed by an actual doctor and he will go over all your results and do a final physical exam with you and talk about any issue that came up and what to do next. Thankfully everything was good. If you want to compare experiences? Go, to the Philippines and do this process. The experience is the exact opposite and the people working are extremely unprofessional and disrespectful. Let’s just say if you get sick and actually need a doctor, the Philippines is not the place you want to be. Malaysia has good healthcare as well but the doctors and nurses are kind of racist and xenophobic. You don’t really feel that in Thailand.
thanks for sharing your experience with us. Yes, I also heard great things about Bangkok Hospital, I should check that out as well. I'm always interested to find more about the healthcare system in different countries. So far, I've tried annual health-check exams in the U.S., Thailand, Taiwan and S. Korea, all were very good and professional but the cost in the US even with blue cross insurance was much higher than in Asia. @@jerrymylove1754
@@TJStories well if you want cheap and horrible go to the Philippines. It’s hot garbage there. I spent time in Indonesia and would say it’s probably a similar experience. Not sure about Cambodia, Laos, or Myanmar. Probably piss of a lot of people if you did a worst medical in all of Asia videos.
Hi Peter! I also find their medicine quite expensive (so I usually buy them from local pharmacies) and also I prefer outside dental clinic over Bumrungrad's (for the same reason). I just goto Bumrungrad because it's nearby home. Thanks for sharing your experience. I keep hearing positive things about Bangkok Hospital, I gotta try it next time! :) (I think that's the one I heard has a pianist in the lobby?) (also I've been only once but Med Park (new hospital) the environment seemed to be good as well.
@@TJStories Mate you're missing the point! I've found the hospital main interest is selling you medication! To that end I much prefer Bangkok hospital.Bumrungrad can no longer depend on middle eastern clients because there are none!
@@petermartyn9509 oh I see... at least from my experience, the doctors I saw did not try to up-sell any medication to me, quite the opposite (instead one doctor advised me to buy generic medicine outside). I'm sorry that happened to you...
I just saw this comment, thank you, I'm glad this was useful for you :) you can leave me comments here and I will try to answer you to the best of my knowledge. (I'm not in the medical field / nor affiliated with any of the hospitals just for your information :)