While you are vacationing in Chiang Mai or living in retirment in Chiang Mai you may have reason to go to a medical clinic or hospital. You never can tell what your health will be like even if you are in excellent physical condition now.

If you are here on vacation you can go to either a medical clinic or to a hospital and talk directly with a doctor who speaks English well and where you will be treated both promptly and inexpensively.

I can say this from first hand knowledge after being treated for gout, a broken veneer from a bonded tooth and an infection and witnessing the treatment received by my girlfriend and her family.

Let's start with the dental. While eating chicken wings I bit down too hard and part of my bonded tooth broke off. I emailed several dental clinics and they both replied promptly. The following day I visited the dental clinic nearest to us and the tooth was repaired in 40 minutes. No appointment and no long wait. The cost was 700 baht or about $23 U.S.

As to gout and the infection I was treated at a local hospital. I provided them with my passport and filed out a short form and then waited about 20 minutes to see a doctor that spoke English. I thought I had gout as I have had it before and it has something to do with my diet. The doctor diagnosed my ailment promptly and agreed that I had gout. He said he could offer pills or a shot. I took the shot or needle in the bumsky and later that day was feeling good.

The cost was about 800 baht or about $26 to see the doctor and for the injection.

The infection was caused by my scratching my back after pulling weeds and cleaning some garbage dumped there. I suppose I should have washed my hands first.

In this case to see the doctor and for pills (4 types) for a week the bill came to about 900 baht or $30 U.S.

That has been it during the past two years. Now I can purchase health insurance offered by B.U.P.A. or other healthcare providers and know that I am covered for surgery, hospital visits and more and at a very reasonable price.

As I do not have any major health problems (knock on wood) I have decided to pay as I go and over the past two years the cost has been less than purchasing a healthcare plan.

What I can attest to is that the healtcare system here is more than adequate for what foreigners require in terms of prompt access, access to doctors who speak English well and in terms of affordability. Not only is the system good but it is also better than what I was accustomed to in Canada.

Most foreigners have no understanding of what it is like to live here and that applies to healthcare in Thailand. The people who I had talked to in Canada knew little and what they thought they knew was incorrect about living here.

Anyone with information that they want to add for the benefit of our website visitors can kindly forward it on to us and we would be glad to add it to our site if it of benefit of our visitors.