Public hospital, Don Kaeo, Mae Rim, north of the city.

Nakornping Hospital

The Ministry of Public Health’s regional hospital for the upper north — more than 860 beds on the Mae Rim road, the big public hospital north of the city.

Ambulance and medical emergency: 1669. Tourist Police: 1155. Police: 191.

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Say “rong phayaban Nakhon Phing”. On Chotana Road (Route 107) on the way to Mae Rim, about ten kilometres north of the old city — twenty to thirty minutes by car.

The other giant. Nakornping is the Ministry of Public Health’s regional referral hospital for Chiang Mai and the upper north, opened in 1980 on Chotana Road in Mae Rim, about ten kilometres north of the old city; by its own count it has more than 860 inpatient beds, over 200 doctors and 3,300 outpatients a day. It is the nearest large hospital for anyone staying towards Mae Rim, Mae Sa or the road to Pai, at public prices and with Thai-first service.

What it is known for

Being the Ministry of Public Health’s regional hospital for the upper north. Nakornping opened in 1980 on the Mae Rim road north of the city and, by its own count, now has more than 860 inpatient beds, over 200 doctors and 3,300 outpatients a day; it is a teaching hospital for the University of Phayao and an affiliate of Chiang Mai University’s medical faculty, and it takes the referrals from the district hospitals of the upper north. Every major department is here, emergency medicine included. For a visitor its relevance is geographic: if you are staying in Mae Rim, the Mae Sa valley or anywhere along Route 107, it is the big hospital that is close.

Who it suits

Anyone hurt or taken ill north of the city — around Mae Rim, Mae Sa, Mae Taeng or on the road to Pai and Chiang Dao — for whom it is the nearest large hospital, and travellers without insurance who need serious care at public prices. It is very much a Thai public hospital: enormous, busy, with long outpatient queues, forms in Thai and English limited to some of the doctors. Bring a Thai speaker if you can. For a minor problem it is not worth the trip from the city; for a genuine emergency out that way it absolutely is, and the 1669 ambulance crews will often bring you here.

Cost and insurance

Public-hospital prices, the lowest on this page along with Suan Dok. Foreigners are charged more than Thai citizens, but the bill for a consultation, imaging and a few days on a ward remains small by any Western measure. Pay at the cashier before leaving; direct billing by foreign insurers is not something to expect. Ask for an itemised receipt and an English-language medical certificate for your claim, and be patient about both — the cashier queue is a public-hospital queue. If you are admitted and can afford it, ask about a private room; the general wards are full.

Getting there

On Chotana Road, Route 107, the main road north out of the city towards Mae Rim, in Don Kaeo about ten kilometres north of the old city’s Chang Phueak Gate; the campus is large enough that you cannot miss it. Allow twenty to thirty minutes by car from the old city, more in the morning rush, and rather longer from Nimman or the airport. Grab and Bolt will take you, and the songthaews to Mae Rim from the Chang Phueak bus terminal pass the gate. Switchboard +66 53 999 200, press 0 for the operator; say “rong phayaban Nakhon Phing”.

Details checked against the hospital’s own website, September 2026. Call before a non-urgent visit; in an emergency call 1669 or the hospital’s own emergency line above. Travel information, not medical advice.

The other 7 hospitals in Chiang Mai

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