Medical Care in Thailand and Phuket's World Class International Hospitals

One major area of concern for most would-be retirees and residents is whether the medical care is up to western standards. There is absolutely no need to feel uneasy about this, as the standards of care in Phuket’s top hospitals is as good as you will find in most western countries.

In fact, when it comes to medical tourism, Thailand is one of the major hubs in all of Southeast Asia. Every day sees foreigners fly into the Kingdom for various medical treatments, from simple procedures to vital surgeries.

Foreign residents who need to make use of the hospitals usually comment on the high standard of care they receive, as well as the exceptional value for money that Thai hospitals offer.

In addition to numerous smaller specialist clinics and medical centres, Phuket is also home to two large accredited hospitals. With their modern facilities, Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Siriroj International Hospital are able to equal (and in certain respects surpass) the standards we are accustomed to in the west. For that reason, both hospitals frequently treat patients from around the world.

It is understandable that, when it literally comes down to life and death, people want to be certain they are getting the best care. In Phuket, you are certainly are.

Here’s a brief summary of Phuket’s two top hospitals:

Bangkok Hospital Phuket

Bangkok Phuket is our go-to hospital. Both of our children were born here, and most of our friends and associates use it, as well. There is really nothing to say against the hospital. It is quite simply a great place to go if you’re sick.

They provide world class hospital services, and the list of specialist treatments and care is pretty comprehensive. It is also recognized as a leading player in the international medical tourism sector, attracting over 80,000 foreign patients every year from all over the world.

Not only are you well looked after, with extremely high quality care and service, but the experience is always quite special, with the added unique touch of a little Thai hospitality.

If you have any doubt about their claim to international status, just take a look at the myriad of foreign languages spoken at the hospital. These include: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, and Tagalog.

Bangkok Hospital Phuket is part of Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS), the largest private healthcare group. BDMS group is made up of 6 different hospital groups, including 21 branches of Bangkok Hospital. BDMS is also the parent of Phuket’s other major hospital.

Siriroj International Hospital

This was actually the first major international hospital in the island, founded in 1982. Under its previous name, Phuket International Hospital (PIH), it was actually the first hospital in Phuket to fully promote medical tourism.

It has expanded over the years, and in 2014 was acquired by Bangkok Hospital Group, which in turn was acquired by Bangkok Dusit Medical Services. At that time, the name Siriroj began to be used in place of PIH.

As part of the BDMS group of hospitals, you can expect an incredibly high standard of care and a comprehensive range of medical services. Many local Thais use this hospital but it also has a very large clientele of foreign residents, and a number of tourists come here if they suffer an accident whilst on the island.

Like other Thai hospitals attracting foreigners, Siriroj prides itself on providing the usual warmth of traditional Thai hospitality.

In addition to the excellent facilities in Phuket, Bangkok boasts Bumrungrad Hospital, which is renowned as one of the best hospitals in Asia, if not the world.

Bumgrungrad Hospital, Bangkok

Depending on what exactly needs to be done, if you need truly specialist treatment and want only the best, then Bumrungrad Hospital is only a short plane ride away in Bangkok.

Bumrungrad Hospital has been around since 1980 and is in a different class to other hospitals in the region. It treats over 1.1 million patients each year, 400,000 of these falling under the category “medical tourism”.

It’s basically a 5-star hotel with doctors and hospital services. It’s not cheap but then you don’t expect it to be. The service, advice and quite frankly the high quality of everything you associate with a hospital like Bumrungrad is superb.

The website Ontoplists, rates Bumrungrad within the top 10 best hospitals in the world at number 9, even ahead of the renowned Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles which comes in at number 10.

Because the hospital caters for 400,000 medical tourist every year, it also has a travel agency within the hospital to assist patients with flights and Visa extensions.

It also goes without saying that wherever in the world you are from, someone at Bumrungrad will literally speak your language.

Conclusion

Both tourists and residents alike can feel safe in the knowledge that Phuket’s top hospitals not only match, but in many cases, also exceed western standards.

As Thailand’s medical tourism industry grows, we can only expect standards to improve further. As it stands, Phuket is already a major South-East Asian medical tourism hub, with many foreigners flying to the island every day to seek specialist treatment.

Not only do they get quality service, but they also no doubt squeeze in a little recuperation time on a tropical paradise island!!!