BootsnAll Travel Network



Bumrungrad Hospital

Nearly as diverse as New York, sitting in a Bumrungrad waiting room is a show of national and ethnic costume…many from the middle east…burkas, jalabas and Arabic head wear…males greeting each other by touching noses…or foreheads…I couldn’t tell.

The hospital, which caters to expats and foreigners, has an American CEO, is run by U.S. hospital standards and provides care in the English language. Most of the doctors have obtained their degrees and practiced medicine in the US…returning to Thailand to retire near their families with inexpensive household help, cooks and gardeners. Plush and efficient, it hardly even feels like a hospital. You are allowed to consult any kind of specialist you want without a referral…last year I saw a cardiologist who, upon reading an echocardiogram, adjusted my medication that brought down my blood pressure by 30 points. If I had had similar care in the U.S. much earlier I might have avoided a thickening of the heart muscle but doctors there avoid expensive tests and “unnecessary” referrals.

Today, I had a routine blood screen, chest film, physical exam and eye exam all for 5000 baht, or $125 and considering that my American insurance has a $1,000 deductible, it’s a deal to have medical care here. And that doesn’t even take into account the incredibly respectful and gracious Thai demeanor.



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