Hospitals in Thailand

Thailand runs two health systems side by side. The public one — Ministry of Public Health hospitals in every district, municipal hospitals in the bigger cities, university hospitals in Bangkok and the regional centres — treats the whole Thai population under universal coverage and is cheap, competent and crowded. The private one, concentrated in Bangkok and the tourist cities, is among the best in Asia: internationally accredited hospitals with English-speaking specialists, interpreters and the kind of hotel-grade service that has made the country a medical-tourism destination. A visitor can walk into either.

The practical difference is money and language. A foreigner pays at both, but a public-hospital bill is a fraction of a private one, while the private hospital will speak your language, see you quickly and deal with your insurer. This page explains how to choose, what to expect at the desk and which numbers to call; the city pages list the major hospitals with addresses, phone numbers and maps.

Cities

All hospitals in Thailand

Chiang Mai

Phuket and Phi Phi

Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao

Krabi, Ao Nang and Koh Lanta

Chiang Rai

Pattaya

Public or private hospital?

If you have travel insurance, go private: the hospital will be faster, English-speaking and able to bill your insurer directly for an admission, and the cost difference is the insurer’s problem, not yours. If you do not, a public hospital will treat you well for very little, at the price of long waits, crowded wards and paperwork in Thai — take a Thai speaker if you can. In a life-threatening emergency go to the nearest emergency room of either kind, or call 1669: every hospital in Thailand must stabilise an emergency patient regardless of ability to pay.

What does treatment cost?

Public hospitals charge foreigners a higher tariff than Thai citizens, but an outpatient visit with basic tests and medicine is still typically a few hundred to a couple of thousand baht. Mid-market private hospitals charge a few times that. The flagship international hospitals in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai charge Western prices, and a serious admission there without insurance can run to hundreds of thousands of baht. Every hospital will give a written estimate before a procedure if you ask, and you should.

Insurance, deposits and paperwork

Private hospitals ask for a deposit on admission unless your insurer has guaranteed payment, which only happens where the two have a contract — so phone the assistance line on your policy before you go if there is time. Outpatient care is nearly always pay-and-claim. Carry your passport; ask for an itemised receipt and an English-language medical certificate before discharge. Thai law requires a motorbike rider to hold a valid licence for the compulsory motor insurance to pay out, and travel insurers routinely refuse scooter claims from unlicensed riders.

Pharmacies and minor complaints

Thai pharmacies are excellent for anything that does not need a doctor. Most everyday medicines, including many antibiotics, are sold over the counter, licensed pharmacists usually speak some English, and the chains — Boots, Watsons, Fascino — are in every mall. The rule of thumb: a pharmacy for a cold, a mild stomach upset or a scrape; a hospital for a fever lasting more than two days, any head injury, a deep or dirty wound, an animal bite, or anything involving a scooter.

Thailand travel guide / Thailand visa guide / Thailand tourist maps / Bangkok departures board / All hospitals

Travel information, not medical advice.

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