How Much Does Hospital Treatment Cost in Thailand

The First Hospital Convenient but Expensive

Okay, so when I initially got this lump come up, being a little bit lazy, I went to the nearest hospital to me – which is a very, very top hospital in Bangkok because I live near Nana BTS station right in the heart of Sukhumvit. And that’s just a convenient place to go. So I had the biopsy. I forget what I paid for the biopsy, but it wasn’t that cheap, you know, because it’s quite an expensive hospital.

I can’t name it because – you know, living in Thailand, they’re very, very strict. You say something negative about a company here, they can actually report you to the police. It’s crazy. You’ve got to be careful. But I will tell you the hospital that I recommend and the insurance companies recommend as well.

So when I went there, I got the biopsy. I went back, and they quoted me 68,000 baht – you can work that out in your own currency – to have it removed. I could have done it. I thought, well, it’s a lot of money, but it’s a good hospital, and I could get it done. And I thought about it and thought about it, and I thought, you know, you’re just being lazy, Peter, because you really need to shop around.

Shopping Around for a Better Price

My second daughter was born in a hospital on Rama 4, 25 years ago now. And I’m registered there as well. It’s good to register at a few hospitals. I went there, and they were kind of like, well, the doctor only comes in on this day, and he’s not here today, and we can book you. And I’m like – you know, I’m one of those guys that likes to get it done and dusted. So I said no.

Now, when I was thinking about insurance, I’m self-insured. Okay? If you haven’t heard the term “self-insured,” what it means is you put an amount of money in a bank account in case of an emergency – like a heart attack or a stroke or something like that – and you’ve got the funds to deal with that immediate emergency. I’m not saying long-term; I’m saying immediate emergency, like a heart attack. A straightforward heart attack here to get sorted out is going to cost you anywhere in the region between 300,000 and half a million baht, depending on what hospital you go to. I’m sure guys will leave comments telling me I’m wrong, but I’m not. I know what it costs.

So being self-insured, you put that amount of money by, and it’s for an immediate emergency. As I say, a lot of guys who live here, especially around Sukhumvit, what they’ll do – being a bit lazy like myself – they’ll go to the nearest hospital – either Bumrungrad on Soi 3, or they’ll jump on the BTS and go to Bangkok Hospital, or even MedPark on Rama 4. Now, they’re all very, very good hospitals, but they are expensive because they are top hospitals.

Why I Chose to Self Insure

When I was trying to get insurance, they did offer me insurance, but they turned me down because I had pre-existing conditions. I was on statins and a blood pressure tablet – another tablet. Perfectly healthy, no problems. I mean, who at 65 isn’t on statins or blood pressure medicine? And again, I’ll get comments from guys who say they’re not, but a lot of people are. And they wouldn’t insure me for a heart attack or a stroke.

I thought, well, I’m not going to pay all that money every month, and then when I need the insurance company, they’re just going to bail out and say, “You didn’t dot the I or cross the T,” you know. So that’s why I took the decision to self-insure.

The Christian Hospital A Much Better Price

I then thought to myself, “You know what? Why don’t you have a shop around?” And when I was trying to get the insurance, one of the hospitals that the insurance company recommended was the Christian Hospital down at Saladaeng.

Now, people have written to me and said, “Can you give me the full address?” I can’t because I don’t know the address. I know where the hospital is. If you take the BTS from Nana, you change at Siam, get on the line that basically at the end of the line goes to Bang Wa, but you’ll get off at Saladaeng. That’s where you’d get off if you were going for an evening in Patpong, strangely enough. It’s a 5-minute walk from the BTS at the Christian Hospital.

Now, I went there, and the difference in pricing – as I mentioned yesterday – I was quoted 68,000 baht to have it removed at the first hospital. The Christian Hospital did it yesterday for 13,100 baht. I’ve got to go back and get the stitches out next week, and that’s going to cost me about another 1,500 baht. Very good.

People wrote to me and said, “Okay, the money is one thing. It’s cheap. But how do you rate the hospital?” I rated them very good. You know, they’re quite an old hospital – they’ve been there for a long time – but they’re very good. They took care of me, and it’s just that huge difference in pricing.

What I’d Recommend for Older Guys Coming to Thailand

So, what I’d say to you: if you’re an older guy and you’re coming out here and you doubt you’ll get insurance – if you’re a wealthy person, you don’t mind paying whatever it takes, and you’re going to be insured, then this video isn’t for you. But this is more for guys like myself who are reluctant to pay for insurance because they’re not going to insure me at the end of the day for everything I need. And you might have a medical emergency. You might have something that’s going to cost quite a lot of money – like this would have been 68,000 baht.

I’ll give you an example of price differences. Again, a lot of the hospitals – because everything is paid for (the food, the doctor’s visits, the injections, everything) – if you stay in a room for the night, a private room in a hospital, a lot of them it’s 10,000 to 12,000 baht a day. That’s without the food, without the examinations. So you stay in there for a week or two, it can soon mount up.

This Christian Hospital – I don’t know the exact price for a room, but based on the price I paid yesterday for my treatment, I’m guessing they’re probably like 5,000 to 7,000 baht a day, which would make a tremendous difference, wouldn’t it?

Shop Around Don’t Be Lazy

So, to wrap this video up, what I’m trying to get across to you is: if you come out here and you’re planning to live wherever it is – it might not necessarily be Bangkok, but even – I’m moving down to Hua Hin at the end of the year. They have four hospitals down there that I can choose from. So again, I’ve got to start from scratch and start investigating again.

But what I would say to you if you’re coming out here to Bangkok: don’t be lazy. Go around – because they’re running businesses, and everything is paid for. You can go into reception and say, “Look, I want some pricing. How much do you charge for a blood test? A full report, checking out triglycerides, my kidney, heart, everything – whatever it is you want.” And they’ll give you the price. How much is it for a room? How much are doctor’s fees? You go around half a dozen hospitals – because you’re going to be here anyway – and you can find the one that you feel is satisfactory, it’s up to your standard, what you think is good enough, and the pricing is right. That way, you’ll save a lot of money.

I’ve Learned My Lesson

Because I know I’ve been lazy. I’ve been to the hospital for various tests, and I’ve had lots of different things done to me. Over the last 3 years, I’ve calculated with dentist work – because I had a load of veneers and I had a couple of crowns and I had an infection at the top of my root canal which was very, very painful – I figure I’ve spent around 200,000 baht over the last three years. Because I go for a lot of tests myself. I’m a little bit of a hypochondriac – that’s what I was trying to think of.

So now I’ve taken the decision. I’m going to do the work. I’m going to look around and find a good hospital at the right price. And I would really recommend you doing that as well. A lot of guys come out here – like me, I admit it. Hands up. I’ve been lazy. I’ve just gone to the nearest hospital, but that was a bad choice and an expensive choice, and I’ve learned my lesson.