Show this to your driver
โรงพยาบาลเกาะสมุย
Say “rong phayaban Koh Samui”, the public hospital, so a driver does not take you to a private one. In Nathon, the ferry port on the west coast, just off the ring road; about thirty minutes from Chaweng.
- TypePublic — Ministry of Public Health general hospital for Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao
- BedsAbout 167
- Address60 Moo 1, Ang Thong, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84140
- Switchboard+66 77 913 200
- Websitesamuihospital.moph.go.th
- LanguagesThai; limited English — the hospital has a foreigner coordination office
- On the mapOpen in Google Maps
The big public hospital for the Gulf islands: a Ministry of Public Health general hospital of about 167 beds in Nathon, the port town on Samui’s west coast, with an emergency room, every major department and an office that coordinates foreign patients. It is where the community hospitals on Koh Phangan and Koh Tao refer, and where an uninsured traveller gets real care at a fraction of a private bill — the trade-off being queues, crowded wards and paperwork mostly in Thai.
What it is known for
Size, reach and price. Koh Samui Hospital is the Ministry of Public Health’s general hospital for the three islands, with around 167 beds, an emergency room, surgery, obstetrics, paediatrics, internal medicine and the public-health work the private hospitals do not touch. It takes the referrals from the small community hospitals on Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, the serious road-accident cases when the private hospitals are not an option, and every Thai islander under universal coverage. There is a foreigner coordination office to help with language and paperwork, which is more than most public hospitals offer. It is in Nathon, on the west coast, half an hour from Chaweng.
Who it suits
Travellers without insurance who need proper care at a price they can pay, long-stay residents on Thai social security, and anyone on the west coast for whom it is simply the nearest hospital. It is not the place for a quick English-language consultation: waits in the outpatient department are long, the wards are crowded, forms are in Thai and English is limited to the emergency room, a few doctors and the foreigner office. Bring a Thai-speaking friend if you can, and your passport. For a serious injury with insurance, the private hospitals on the east side will see you sooner.
Cost and insurance
Public-hospital prices. Foreigners are charged a higher tariff than Thai citizens, but still a fraction of what any private hospital on the island bills for the same treatment; an outpatient visit with tests and medicine usually costs less than a night in a mid-range hotel. Pay in cash or by card at the cashier before you leave. Insurers almost never direct-bill a public hospital, so expect to pay and claim; ask the foreigner office for an itemised receipt and a medical certificate in English before you go — both are routine requests, but they are yours to make.
Getting there
In Nathon, the ferry port on the west coast, just off the ring road — about thirty minutes by car from Chaweng, twenty from Maenam and fifteen from Lipa Noi, where the car ferries from the mainland land. Songthaews from Chaweng and Lamai run to Nathon all day; a Bolt is easier with an injury. Say ‘rong phayaban Koh Samui’ — the public hospital — so a driver does not take you to a private one. Switchboard +66 77 913 200; in an emergency call 1669, which on Samui will bring one of this hospital’s ambulances.
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 Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao
- Bangkok Hospital SamuiPrivate, about 50 beds, Ring road (Thaweerat Phakdee Road), Bophut.
- Bandon International HospitalPrivate, about 30 beds, Ring road, Bophut, west of the airport.
- Koh Phangan HospitalPublic, about 30 beds, West-coast road north of Thong Sala.
- Thai International HospitalPrivate, about 28 beds, Ring road at Chaweng, opposite Lotus’s.
- Koh Tao HospitalPublic, about 10 beds, Mae Haad, by the ferry piers.
- First Western HospitalPrivate, Thong Sala, the port town.
- Samui International HospitalPrivate, Northern end of Chaweng Beach Road.
Hospitals in Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao / Koh Samui and Koh Tao travel guide / Koh Samui tourist map / All hospitals