Thailand Health Care from Clinics, Hospitals, Cosmetic Surgery and Healthcare Tips

Medical Clinics:

For prompt, affordable and expert treatment of minor ailments there are many clinics where you may wait 10 min. to 30 min. to meet with a doctor who will often speak English well and who will prescribe treamtment or medication.

The medication will be available at the counter where you first entered and can be picked up about 5-10 min. after seeing the doctor.

My experience is that the cost of seeing the medical professional and medication has varied from 600 - 900 baht which is about $20-30 US and the treatment/medication prescribed has treated what ailed me. So I was most pleased with the service and results.

For more serious problems go to a private clinic or hospital as soon as possible.

When you first arrive in Chiang Mai one of the first things we recommend you do is take 1 hr. by red taxi to visit the nearest medical clinic and hospital nearest to where you are staying.

The cost of the red taxi for private use of 1 hr. and to wait for you while you go inside the clinic and hospital should only be about 300 baht or $10 US and you would be seeing the city in the process and could make notes of any restaurants or other establishments you may want to visit later on.

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Hospitals:

If your condition requires immediate attention and is serious then we would suggest your visiting a private clinic or hospital without delay.

In Chiang Mai there are private medical centers where the cost is a bit higher as compared to a general hospital but the facilities could be newer and you will get prompter service.

Either that or a general hospital where you would register and once registered just present your ID card when you arrive.

Bring your passport and some money with you as you will be required to pay when you pick up your medication. The cost from my experience has been just a tad more than the clinics mentioned above.

The staff will speak English well enough to get you signed up and the doctors are all very fluent in English.

Expect to wait until your name is called and that could take between 10-30 minutes.

When entering a public hospital you may notice that it may require some newer furniture or a paint of coat but don't let that affect your decision to use that facility for you will receive faster and better care than what I was getting in Canada.

Plus the doctors here want to treat you so you do not need to return. The doctors in Canada by comparison seem to want you never to get well and to keep returning.

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Pharmacies:

There are many pharmacies in Chiang Mai and also in other cities that are much smaller in size.

What I have noticed is that the people working there filling the prescriptions speak English well or well enough to get me what I need filled properly.

Now the cost of your prescriptions will often be low in comparison to what you paid in your home country but at times if you ask for a prescription such as Viagra the cost will be about the same. So it may depend on where they get the medication from and what the manufacturer is willing to do in terms of selling price to Thailand.

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Healthcare Providers:

If your are coming to Thailand on a vacation or to retire with an health condition that is current or ongoing and may require attention then you can consider obtaining coverage from a healthcare provider here in Thailand.

Some people want that peace of mind knowing that they are fully covered while there are here and having a plan in place gives them that peace of mind.

Health insurance plans are available from BUPA Blue Cross which are a large provider of health insurance coverage here in Thailand. They have a local office in Chiang Mai and a representative that speaks English. From my telephone conversations with their representative I am of the understanding that they will accept applicants up until a day before their 66th birthday and health plans up until 70 years of age. They offer a variety of plans which are well detailed in their website.

Their website address is www.bupathailand.com

Their new plan is a “Six Month Cover For Short Term Visitors to Thailand.“

Other healthcare providers you may want to get quotes from if you are considering a healthcare plan are:

AIA Thailand and you can visit their website by going to: http://www.aiathailand.com/

Global Health Insurance and you can visit their website at: http://www.global-health-insurance.com/country/thailand/

There are other providers of health insurance plans here in Thailand and I would suggest that you check them out if you are interested in obtaining health coverage while you reside here long term.

Compare their insurance plans and then decide if you want to proceed and with which provider.

Personally I do not have a health insurance plan and for your information we are not compensated by BUPA. We mention BUPA here on this page as we understand them to be the largest health plan provider in Thailand and when I visited several hospitals I could see their promotional leaflets on display.

So take a few minutes to check out several of the health plans that are offered and then decide which provides the best health coverage at the lowest price. As to the health insurance rates I did check them out and saw that different plans were offered and were referred to as silver, gold, platinum and that the coverage varied as did the prices according to the quality of the service you required. For example a private room would cost a bit more. Overall the costs did seem to be very reasonable and cheaper than most people realize.

When my original investigative work was done months ago, in my opinion it was less expensive to pay the for a health insurance plan here as opposed to the cost of travel back home for health coverage which may be provided free of charge.

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Cosmetic Surgery:
We dedicated an entire page to the important topic of Cosmetic Surgery. Thailand has tens of thousands of people coming here each year for surgery that they cannot obtain soon in their home countries or that they cannot obtain at an affordable price in their home countries.

Cosmetic Surgery In Thailand

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Healthcare in Chiang Mai vs. Canada:
We dedicated an entire page to the important topic of Cosmetic Surgery. Thailand has tens of thousands of people coming here each year for surgery that they cannot obtain soon in their home countries or that they cannot obtain at an affordable price in their home countries.

Healthcare in Chiang Mai vs. Canada

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Healthcare Specialists:
An important consideration here is that of limited waiting lists for either surgery or to see a specialist. Back home I would have to see a doctor numerous times before they admit they do not know what the problem is and finally refer me to a specialist. When I get referred it is common to wait another 2-3 months to see a specialist.

Here in Chiang Mai, Thailand you may be able to see a specialist in a day and certainly in less than a week.

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Our Healthcare Tips:
Before you come to Thailand or Chiang Mai on vacation or in retirement consider having some dental work done here or other surgery which you may already have planned as the facilities are world class as are the medical practioners and you could end up with what we refer to as: "Free Vacation".

I personally do not have a healthcare plan and pay as I go. So far knock on wood it has proven to be a wise choice as treatment is affordable and so far even with my minor illnesses they have all been treated promptly and for less than the cost of a medical plan.

You have to look at your own circumstances and decide what is best for you.

As part of our Retirement Services we show our clients some of the health care facilities in Chiang Mai. We visit a hospital, a clinic (large and small) and allow the client the opportunity to view the type of facilities that are available should an emergency or small ailment need prompt attention.

The health care services here are Readily Available, Affordable, and of the Highest Standards. When I walk into a hospital, clinic or even a pharmacy the people working there that I talk to ALL speak English and most speak it very well. The access to Specialists is very Prompt compared to what I was accustomed to which was being put on a waiting list for at least 2-3 months. The Cost is Very Affordable and I would estimate on average 20-33% of what I would have paid back in Canada.

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Herbal Pain Relief

Click here to visit the Chiang Mai Outcall Massage web page