When we made this move to Thailand, we raved to our friends and family back home about how great and inexpensive healthcare in Thailand is (or can be), yet we hadn’t actually had the opportunity to experience it for ourselves. Charlie took a trip to Sriphat Hospital in Chiang Mai with his uncle last year and documented it on video as you may recall (see below). And all went just peachy. But then I came down with a case of strep throat my last days in Penang, Malaysia and it was time for me to pay the doctor a visit and things didn’t go as well…
Misdiagnosis at Sriphat Medical Clinic
I’m no doctor but I’ve dealt with strep throat more than a few times in my life. I can recognize the systems – sore throat with white patches, fever, chills, achy body, swollen lymph nodes. A common treatment is Penicillin and since I happen to be allergic, I decided it best that I visit a doctor, do a throat culture and have them prescribe me something. Since Charlie had visited the clinic at Sriphat with his uncle and was familiar with it, I painfully dragged myself out of bed and we made our way to the hospital. I hadn’t eaten anything which I knew was a mistake because I was taking Tylenol for the fever. I was starting to feel nauseous in the waiting room and then the doctor called us back. It wasn’t the same one Charlie’s uncle had seen but he seemed to speak decent English. I showed him my throat, told him my symptoms and that I thought I had strep throat and asked if we could do a culture. His response was that since I do not have a fever now, I should go home and get rest and if I still feel bad then come back the next day and we could do then do a culture (this is after he told me that it would take a day for the results). I reminded him that I had taken Tylenol which is why I did not have a fever now but that I had already been sick for 2 days with a high fever, I have white patches on my throat, can hardly swallow and that is why I came to see him that day. He seemed unsure what to do at that point and had me stand up to do a series of tests similar to that of a DUI test (walk a straight line, stand on one leg, etc.). At this point the nausea took over and I made a beeline for the trash can. After emptying my stomach in his trash bin, he suggested that I could be pregnant (obviously due to the nausea) or that I might be having some other gastro problems (yes even after seeing my throat and the 103 fever). He decided it was best to refer me to a Gastro specialist.
Huh???
Completely annoyed, in tons of pain and ready to just get back to my bed, we decided to meet the van they had waiting for us downstairs to drive us over to the older Sriphat Hospital building where I would meet with a GI doctor. Obviously, it was not a GI problem I was having, but we were just hoping we could talk to someone there that understood what was happening. We walked into the hospital and our eyes bulged out of our heads. I’ve never seen so many sick people in wheelchairs and on stretchers in my life. The place was completely flooded with people, hundreds of people. It was outdated and the smells were so terrible. Charlie was having a panic attack just being there (he doesn’t do well in hospitals) and I was frantically looking for the nearest trash bin. To make matters worse, the queue was so long it would have been hours before seeing a doctor and I wasn’t even going to be seeing the right doctor. There was no way I could have made it. Actually, there was no way we could have made it. We took one look around and got the hell out. I ended up getting some Cipro from a local pharmacy and sleeping it off for the next few days. The whole experience had me re-thinking healthcare in Thailand. I’m still having nightmares about that place…
MRI at Chiang Mai Ram Hospital
For those that know me well, you know I’ve been dealing with migraines for the better part of my life. One thing I love about being in Thailand is being able to get my medication freely from the pharmacy without a prescription for a fraction of the cost that I paid in the States. In fact, sometimes I question ever leaving Thailand due to this fact. But I’m still determined to get to the root of the problem because I really hate having to take any medication. Almost 10 years ago, I went through the steps of meeting with a Neurologist and having an MRI, and while the MRI came back fine, I was diagnosed with “common migraines” and never really got on any sort of treatment plan for them. Since they’ve worsened over the years and healthcare is so much more affordable in Thailand, its something I’ve been meaning to do while here. I’ve been putting it off for over a year and I completely wrote it off after my visit to Sriphat Hospital. That is until just two weeks after visiting Sriphat I had an episode that scared the crap out of me and I was ready to bite the bullet. I woke up one morning and while reading over my emails, my vision went blurry and then I lost peripheral vision in one eye for about 30 minutes. This had never happened before and I completely freaked out. I wasn’t really sure where to start, but I had seen many foreigners in Chiang Mai rave about this Dr. Morgan, a general physician and I figured she could give me some guidance. I was immediately glad I made that decision. She spoke perfect English and it was obvious she knew her stuff and understood what was going on. We decided to start with blood work and then she agreed that I should get an MRI to make sure there wasn’t something else going on.
What first impressed me was that they took blood right then and there and the results were to me that very afternoon by email. She called and made the appointment for the MRI which was to be the following morning at 8:30 am at Chiang Mai Ram Hospital, a private hospital and one of the nicer options in Chiang Mai. We showed up to the hospital around 8:10 am the next morning, got registered and was taken back for the MRI by 8:30 am. At 9:15 am, I was finished and the results were in my hand. Dr. Morgan had suggested two neurologists at the hospital and it was up to me to go with my results whenever I wanted, no appointment necessary. We decided to go ahead and see him while we were there. We went back to registration and were given a number to queue so they could check my vitals. We waited 20-25 minutes, they checked my height, weight, fever and blood pressure and then gave me another number to queue for the neurologist. Not even 5 minutes later I saw the doctor. We had to queue again to check out and pay and then pick up my prescriptions. By 11:30 am we were leaving the hospital. Just barely over 3 hours for everything.
The neurologist I met with reinstated my faith in Thailand healthcare. He was very knowledgeable, spoke perfect English and answered all of my questions with confidence. I feel good about his treatment plan and I’m very happy I finally bit the bullet and went. Overall, Chiang Mai Ram was a very nice and efficient hospital, although the X-ray area did appear quite a bit outdated. We were able to get by pretty easily speaking English and the prices were insanely affordable compared to US healthcare. The costs of prescriptions were also a fraction of the cost they are in the US, however, more expensive than other pharmacies in Chiang Mai. We went ahead and got my prescriptions there, but took them to our usual pharmacy in the old city and found a month’s supply was approx 200 baht cheaper than the hospital.
Want to see what the hospital looks like inside?? And what I look like in hospital attire?? Check out the video and then scroll down for the cost breakdown 😉
Thailand Healthcare Cost Breakdown
Note that these are fees without any insurance. By comparison, a typical doctors visit here is equivalent or less than most people’s copay in the States. On average, an MRI in the States runs at about $2600 before insurance kicks in. My first MRI my parents paid $1200 out of pocket with insurance. And while most insurance covers blood work fees (or the majority of them), the costs of mine are much less than most Americans monthly insurance premium. Just some food for thought. From now on, I will go straight to Dr. Morgan for any non-emergency medical needs and Chiang Mai Ram is my hospital of choice in Chiang Mai.
Sriphat Hospital
Clinic/Doctor Consult Fee
360 baht / 11 USD
Dr. Morgan/Health Care Medical Clinic
Dr Morgan Consult Fee
350 baht / 11 USD
Dr. Morgan/Blood Panel Fees
2135 baht / 65 USD
Total
2485 baht / 76 USD
Chiang Mai Ram
MRI w/o Contrast
9600 baht / 294 USD
Neurologist Consult Fee/Diagnosis
500 baht / 15 USD
Total
10,100 baht / 310 USD
*If viewing on a mobile, flip your device horizontally to view full pricing table
We are Brittany and Charlie - we traded the 9 to 5 and the so-called "American dream" to live our own dream and see the world. We sold all of our belongings and left the US in August 2013. For 5 years, we lived primarily in Thailand and built our online business and location independent lifestyle while we traveled to over 30 countries. We’ve had house sitting gigs on 3 different continents and we’ve even appeared on HGTV’s House Hunters International.
Oh, wow! I always went to Ram when I was there. I knew it was more expensive, but I trusted the doctors there more than anywhere else. When I first arrived, all of the other expats suggested this was the hospital to go to and referred to it as the “western” hospital. Most of my experiences there were wonderful. I only had one which wasn’t great — the doctor misdiagnosed my ankle injury and ended up giving me the wrong treatment. Ultimately, it ended up causing more harm and I was angry, but all in all, Ram is the place to go!
The sad thing is we were always told the same – go to Ram. We knew this. Should have listened! We really thought that getting a prescription for antibiotic was going to be so simple though…should have known better. Can’t believe that about your ankle. Yikes!!
Sounds like a real ordeal but it appears to have worked out well in the end. Good to hear. No to the constant migraine problem you suffer Brittany. I went through a real shitty few months of my life where I was suffering from severe headaches on a daily basis, and this was from someone who had hardly had a headache in the first 45 years of my life. Had all the blood tests after numerous visits to various doctors without any success. What fixed it? A decision to go an see a good Chiropractor. I was skeptical at first, but now I’m a believer and always go to my Chiro for a regular re-adjustment. They are not all about sore backs, as by them looking after your central nervous system, you feel much better all round. Now I just have to find one here in Hua Hin. Might not work for you, but it may be worth giving a go. Cheers. Jim
Wow glad you found a solution to yours! I’ve heard the same thing from others as well. I tried a chiropractor years ago and didn’t notice a difference, but that was probably 10 years ago. Might we worth trying again or trying a different doctor. The preventative medicine he has me on seems to be helping so we will see. I’d much rather not be on any medicine at all though!
Yes, very true! Everything turned out ok and at least now we know where to go in the future if need be – but lets hope for no more returns to the hospital! 🙂
[…] This varies depending on which program you settle on. This is for a very nice wellness center in a reputable Chiang Mai Hospital. Numerous clinics exist in any city in Thailand that will get you in with a doctor for as little as 80 baht ($2). (Click for updated post and video on Thailand hospitals, including an MRI at Chiang Mai Ram hospital) […]
Oh wow! I actually found Dr Morgan by your site and holy crap it was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have fibromyalgia with terrible hyperalgesia and usually avoid blood draws like insanity because they HURT so much and I always end up going into shock from the pain. Dr Morgan was the first person to take me seriously and she did an almost painless blood draw and I didn’t go into shock. She’s just that great. And I’m really surprised because I was quoted the almost the same prices as you got for the blood work and MRI.
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