I've had really bad experiences at San Paulo, which is over priced, and other times they have been okay. It would never be my first choice for medical care.
The Polyclinic is more reasonably priced but some of the doctors there are as old as the hills, incompetent, and should be retired (or buried). The key there is to get a good doctor rather than the doctors who have forgotten how to tie their shoes.
I'm happy to pay more when I can wait for medical care in BKK. Burmrungrat has always been my default option although they seem to be getting more and more expensive and more and more assembly line like in their service. There must be equally good and cheaper options in BKK.
Perhaps BNH?
2 minute doctors examination 1920bath
SP is good for cuts and bruises
Anything more complex could be a problem
My own personal experience of that and I have the documents to prove it was a mis diagnosis of a swelling leg. Diagnosis was a fever and bed sores. Friend rushed me up to BK (Bumrungrad) Diagnosis? DVT (deep vein thrombosis)
So much for the paracetemols etc. Thanks to my friend after 2 days in ICU I recovered
I've also spent hours with friends in SP and other HH hospitals with severe head injuries and they are just left to live or die and nobody cares
My advice is to use a good clinic i.e. The pollyclinic. any doubts by the doctors there and you are sent to the Petcharat hospital who know what they are doing
I am speaking from experience as my DVT has hit me 3 times over the past 5 years
Anything more complex could be a problem
My own personal experience of that and I have the documents to prove it was a mis diagnosis of a swelling leg. Diagnosis was a fever and bed sores. Friend rushed me up to BK (Bumrungrad) Diagnosis? DVT (deep vein thrombosis)
So much for the paracetemols etc. Thanks to my friend after 2 days in ICU I recovered
I've also spent hours with friends in SP and other HH hospitals with severe head injuries and they are just left to live or die and nobody cares
My advice is to use a good clinic i.e. The pollyclinic. any doubts by the doctors there and you are sent to the Petcharat hospital who know what they are doing
I am speaking from experience as my DVT has hit me 3 times over the past 5 years
RICHARD OF LOXLEY
It’s none of my business what people say and think of me. I am what I am and do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. It makes life so much easier.
It’s none of my business what people say and think of me. I am what I am and do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. It makes life so much easier.
-
margaretcarnes
- Rock Star
- Posts: 4172
- Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2008 8:28 am
- Location: The Rhubarb Triangle
2 minute doctors examination 1920 baht
You were very lucky Richard - as you say SP is sadly for the obvious cuts/bruises type things. Stuff you can self-diagnose! (And therefore often treat at home anyway.)
It's alarming how head injuries in particular can just be left, when in other countries now the very small 'window of opportunity' needed to avoid serious brain injury or death is well recognised.
We've discussed the health care situation in LOS several times. To be honest I'm even doubtful about the Polyclinic, although it does sound as if it's improved. Best emergency treatment I've experienced was at the Bangkok Christian Hospital on Silom. Pattaya hopitals can also be good. HH still seems to lag behind, and SP doesn't even bother to have English speaking staff on duty night time.
It's alarming how head injuries in particular can just be left, when in other countries now the very small 'window of opportunity' needed to avoid serious brain injury or death is well recognised.
We've discussed the health care situation in LOS several times. To be honest I'm even doubtful about the Polyclinic, although it does sound as if it's improved. Best emergency treatment I've experienced was at the Bangkok Christian Hospital on Silom. Pattaya hopitals can also be good. HH still seems to lag behind, and SP doesn't even bother to have English speaking staff on duty night time.
A sprout is for life - not just for Christmas.
What I was really looking for was any HHAD members who had suffered at the hands of San Paulo.
I wrote on another thread about SP:
The doctor at SP took a 30 second look inside my mouth and said I had a sore throat (which was not among my symptoms) and gave me cold medications and charged me over 2k baht.Went there once with a dangerously high fever for an adult. I only went there because it was the middle of the night and I was scared I would not make it till morning.
They totally misdiagnosed the problem, gave me the wrong medications, and charged me four times as much as Hua Hin International Polyclinic did the next day to give me the correct diagnosis and the correct meds.
I'll never go there again. I would go to Hua Hin government hospital before returning to San Paulo!
I had been running a fever (among other symptoms) between 104 and 105 for a few hours and had tried over the counter fever reducers with no results. He wasn't concerned about the fever (which was my biggest concern) and simply said that when the throat infection cleared up the fever would go away.
The SP diagnosis did not seem right to me because of my symptoms, but I suffered through the night taking the meds I was given with the fever inching higher until the Polyclinic opened in the morning. I went there and the doctor immediately said it was food poisoning, gave me medicine that started to make me feel better in under an hour, and charged me just under 700 baht for both the visit and the meds. I showed him the meds from SP and told him their diagnosis and he just laughed and told me to throw those away and take the meds he prescribed.
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
san paolo
I have had several experiences with San Paolo, the most serious being an emergency gall bladder surgery. I have always found the staff very knowledgeable, efficient and pleasant and since it is the closest hospital where they even pretend to speak English, it is where a lot of people end up in emergency situations.
Yes, they overcharge . .big time . .but nothing anywhere near what hospitals stateside charge. So I would certainly fault the business end of operations there.
If you DO find yourself there, ask for Dr. Boripan. He is excellent, speaks English and knows what he is doing.
As someone else posted, SP is good when you need something and you have done the research and know what it is in advance. . .say medicine, attention to a rash or a cut or something. (I dont think the Polyclinic is as well equipped technically either . .as with ICU, xrays etc etc . .but I dont know this for certain.
We have gone up to Petcharat at times and they are the best in the area (IMHO) In BKK I have come to like Bangkok Nursing Hospital ..smaller and more personal than Bumrungrad with same quality of service.
Hua Hin hospital I would not recommend EVER without your own personal translator at your side at all times. NO English spoken there at all except for the big neon sign on the roof. (Not even the usual Thai standard of big Thai letters with little English letters below.) And the few times I was there, I got no smiles at all, and found the very opposite to be true. You could clearly see the reaction on the face of the other person ( nurse, receptionist etc) "Oh, no. Another farang, there goes the neighborhood and my day is shot all to hell." Followed by the immediate effort to get rid of you ASAP. ..and this was WITH my translator!
If they are serious about wanting farang business, which I believe they are judging from some of the news articles I have seen in the past, they need to hire translators like they have at Bumrungrad.
Yes, they overcharge . .big time . .but nothing anywhere near what hospitals stateside charge. So I would certainly fault the business end of operations there.
If you DO find yourself there, ask for Dr. Boripan. He is excellent, speaks English and knows what he is doing.
As someone else posted, SP is good when you need something and you have done the research and know what it is in advance. . .say medicine, attention to a rash or a cut or something. (I dont think the Polyclinic is as well equipped technically either . .as with ICU, xrays etc etc . .but I dont know this for certain.
We have gone up to Petcharat at times and they are the best in the area (IMHO) In BKK I have come to like Bangkok Nursing Hospital ..smaller and more personal than Bumrungrad with same quality of service.
Hua Hin hospital I would not recommend EVER without your own personal translator at your side at all times. NO English spoken there at all except for the big neon sign on the roof. (Not even the usual Thai standard of big Thai letters with little English letters below.) And the few times I was there, I got no smiles at all, and found the very opposite to be true. You could clearly see the reaction on the face of the other person ( nurse, receptionist etc) "Oh, no. Another farang, there goes the neighborhood and my day is shot all to hell." Followed by the immediate effort to get rid of you ASAP. ..and this was WITH my translator!
If they are serious about wanting farang business, which I believe they are judging from some of the news articles I have seen in the past, they need to hire translators like they have at Bumrungrad.
“This year, we Americans have a Fourth of July we can truly celebrate. We did it! We survived eight years of Republican rule and that idiot Bush in the White House.”
Agree with you Chas. We still have no top notch hospital here. I too started going to Petcharat a few years ago, but alas, I had a problem there too that caused me much stress. They mixed up my x-ray with someone elses and made me think I had a serious heart problem until a few months later when I went to Bumrungrad and found out it wasn't possible. Since I was shown the obvious problem on the x-ray at Petcharat and it was not present on the later x-ray at Bumrungrad (nor in the complete cardiac exam including treadmill test), the only explanation was a mixed up x-ray the first time.
I guess all hospitals make mistakes but I've never encountered them like I have in five years here.
I still don't know what to do in an emergency here, but for all other care I go to St. Louis (private, non-profit, sponsored by the Catholic church) Hospital in Bangkok for care on the par with Bumrungrad (imo) at half the cost.
I guess all hospitals make mistakes but I've never encountered them like I have in five years here.
I still don't know what to do in an emergency here, but for all other care I go to St. Louis (private, non-profit, sponsored by the Catholic church) Hospital in Bangkok for care on the par with Bumrungrad (imo) at half the cost.
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
JD wrote:airborn
We always take our boy to Dr. Samet on Petchkasem Road, opposite Soi 80.
A list of Hospitals and Doctors in and around Hua Hin is here http://www.expathuahin.com/hospitals-huahin.php
I second that and judging from how many people use him, I think I'll continue taking my little ones there as well. He has also helped me on a few occasions and I always had great results.
San Paulo - I would not go there even if it meant I would die!!!!!!
Don't try to impress me with your manner of dress cos a monkey himself is a monkey no less - cold fact
I had a motorbike accident 2 years ago right outside the police station and was taken to San Paulo as it was the nearest hospital. I had dislocated my shoulder and was taken into A & E.
As it was around 10pm I was immediately asked what type of room I needed for an overnight stay even before an an X-ray had been taken. It became apparent thath the Dr. on duty did not know how to put the joint back in. I asked for an alternative Dr and was told I would have to wait for the orthapaedic surgeon from the Pranburi army hospital. I agreed to this and was taken off for X-rays. About 45 minutes later I was given an anaesthetic and came round later with my arm in a sling.
I never saw the San Paulo Dr again, so I was given no follow up advice. When I got the bill I was charged B900 for the Army Doctors charges including call out which was reasonable however San Paulo charged me B1500 for a Dr who could only say he didn't have have the skills to put my shoulder joint back in.
Following up 2 weeks later the joint was still sore, so as I was in Bangkok I decided to have it checked in Bumrungrad. I took along the X-rays from San Paulo and saw an othapaedic surgeon who spoke excellent english. As he could see no damage on the San Paulo X-rays he ordered an MRI scan to check for ligament damage - which turned out to be OK. So the shoulder joint was X-rayed again in several different positions and a small hairline fracture was found on the top of the shoulder joint. Having found the problem I was ordered to rest the arm and in time the joint would heal itself - which is what has happened.
The fee in Bumrungrad from a Dr who took the time to find out what the root cause of the problem was B900. The X-rays in Bumrungrad were also a lot cheaper than the ones taken in San Paulo.
Big Boy this is why I am reluctant to use San Paulo for any medical problems. I would use the Polyclinic for small problems and then either Petcharat or Bumrungrad.
As it was around 10pm I was immediately asked what type of room I needed for an overnight stay even before an an X-ray had been taken. It became apparent thath the Dr. on duty did not know how to put the joint back in. I asked for an alternative Dr and was told I would have to wait for the orthapaedic surgeon from the Pranburi army hospital. I agreed to this and was taken off for X-rays. About 45 minutes later I was given an anaesthetic and came round later with my arm in a sling.
I never saw the San Paulo Dr again, so I was given no follow up advice. When I got the bill I was charged B900 for the Army Doctors charges including call out which was reasonable however San Paulo charged me B1500 for a Dr who could only say he didn't have have the skills to put my shoulder joint back in.
Following up 2 weeks later the joint was still sore, so as I was in Bangkok I decided to have it checked in Bumrungrad. I took along the X-rays from San Paulo and saw an othapaedic surgeon who spoke excellent english. As he could see no damage on the San Paulo X-rays he ordered an MRI scan to check for ligament damage - which turned out to be OK. So the shoulder joint was X-rayed again in several different positions and a small hairline fracture was found on the top of the shoulder joint. Having found the problem I was ordered to rest the arm and in time the joint would heal itself - which is what has happened.
The fee in Bumrungrad from a Dr who took the time to find out what the root cause of the problem was B900. The X-rays in Bumrungrad were also a lot cheaper than the ones taken in San Paulo.
Big Boy this is why I am reluctant to use San Paulo for any medical problems. I would use the Polyclinic for small problems and then either Petcharat or Bumrungrad.
Thanks ricardo.
That's good, and a common theme of cost seems to be emerging (maybe I unkowingly get a staff discount when I or my family have attended San Paulo).
Regarding the mis-diagnosis, I often wonder in cases like this whether Bumrungrad would have done any better in the first instance ie the secondary problem was only identified after you went back complaining of continued pain, and they started looking from obscure angles for a hairline fracture. Even when found, there was no treatment for the problem other than rest.
That's good, and a common theme of cost seems to be emerging (maybe I unkowingly get a staff discount when I or my family have attended San Paulo).
Regarding the mis-diagnosis, I often wonder in cases like this whether Bumrungrad would have done any better in the first instance ie the secondary problem was only identified after you went back complaining of continued pain, and they started looking from obscure angles for a hairline fracture. Even when found, there was no treatment for the problem other than rest.
Championship Plymouth Argyle 1 - 0 Hull City 
Points 51; Position 21
Consolidated - Championship Next Season
Points 51; Position 21
Consolidated - Championship Next Season
same son got feber again...this time I did take your advise and took him to Polyclinic, which I found our is only 200 meters from where we are staying. We received excellent service....and the best part was ofcourse the bill 340THB including medications and doctorsfee.
I will definitly continue to take my kids here again...
I will definitly continue to take my kids here again...
A couple of years ago, my daughter, who was then about a year old, got a bout of the gastro flu that goes around in rain season. This was further complicated as she was lactose intolerent and we were slowly trying to get her to accept some lactose. She couldn't hold any milk in her stomach and was constantly vommitting and diahrrea-ing. (pardon the creative spelling!). As I had to go off to work in Bangkok for 3 days and leave her with the Mrs, and San Paolo's the nearest to our home, I decided to take her there for my peace of mind.
After a short examination, they decided that she needed to stay overnight. We chose a room so that my wife could stay with her the whole time. I left to go home to get some stuff for my wife's overnight stay. When I returned, the wife was in tears, saying that the nurses had tried to put an intraveinous needle into our daughter and her veins were too small. Our one year old was hysterical. I had a word with the doctor and they decided just to keep water on hand for her to drink orally.
After one day, she was taking milk again. Basically, they just changed the milk again to a completely lactose-free kind. Then she recovered.
Despite only having monitored her and watch my wife feed her water, the bill for the overnight stay was almost 10,000bt. When I looked at the bill, it was full of stuff we didn't have. When I contested the bill, they merely said, "Yes, but it was available if you needed it!"
What a rip off!!
After a short examination, they decided that she needed to stay overnight. We chose a room so that my wife could stay with her the whole time. I left to go home to get some stuff for my wife's overnight stay. When I returned, the wife was in tears, saying that the nurses had tried to put an intraveinous needle into our daughter and her veins were too small. Our one year old was hysterical. I had a word with the doctor and they decided just to keep water on hand for her to drink orally.
After one day, she was taking milk again. Basically, they just changed the milk again to a completely lactose-free kind. Then she recovered.
Despite only having monitored her and watch my wife feed her water, the bill for the overnight stay was almost 10,000bt. When I looked at the bill, it was full of stuff we didn't have. When I contested the bill, they merely said, "Yes, but it was available if you needed it!"
What a rip off!!
Nightmare bigideas, especially if you have young child like we do now.
There's been lots of threads, probably going back years now on this great forum, it's well worth newcomers to town reading through them via the site's 'search' function. My advice, from personal experience and that of friends and others on here has always been this, feel it's time to shout about it now ........
TO GET PROPER MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY GO TO ONE OF THE QUALITY BANGKOK HOSPITALS LIKE SAMITIVEJ, BUNRUNGRAD AND THE LIKE.
Good luck and sorry for shouting.
SJ
There's been lots of threads, probably going back years now on this great forum, it's well worth newcomers to town reading through them via the site's 'search' function. My advice, from personal experience and that of friends and others on here has always been this, feel it's time to shout about it now ........
TO GET PROPER MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY GO TO ONE OF THE QUALITY BANGKOK HOSPITALS LIKE SAMITIVEJ, BUNRUNGRAD AND THE LIKE.
Good luck and sorry for shouting.
SJ