Koh Samui has good private hospitals with English-speaking staff, but it’s still an island, and that changes how you plan for a serious problem. This guide shows you which hospital to pick, roughly what it’ll cost and what to expect when you get there.
Most foreigners on Samui end up at one of three private hospitals: Bangkok Hospital Samui, Samui International Hospital or Wattanapat Hospital. There’s also a public hospital for when cost matters most.
Which one is right comes down to how serious the problem is, whether you have insurance and how much you’re willing to pay. We’ll walk you through each of them, what readers liked and what annoyed them, and what happens if you need to leave the island for treatment.
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Contents
- Key Takeaways
- Treatment Quality
- How Much Samui Hospitals Cost
- The Best Private Hospitals on Koh Samui
- The Public Hospital: Koh Samui Hospital
- Making an Appointment
- Emergencies and Outpatient Care
- Using Insurance at a Samui Hospital
- Tips for Visiting Hospitals on Koh Samui
- Leaving the Island for Serious Care
- How to Choose the Right Hospital for You
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the best hospital on Koh Samui for foreigners?
- What number do I call for an ambulance on Koh Samui?
- Do I need medical evacuation cover to live on Koh Samui?
- Can I use my international insurance on Koh Samui?
- Is there a public hospital on Koh Samui?
- What happens if I need major surgery or cancer treatment?
- Sources Cited
Key Takeaways
- Bangkok Hospital Samui is the best-equipped hospital on the island and the one to choose in an emergency. It’s also by far the most expensive.
- Wattanapat Hospital in Bo Phut is a newer, cheaper private hospital that readers rate for everyday care.
- Samui International Hospital in Chaweng sits in the middle on price and suits X-rays, scans and routine visits.
- Koh Samui Hospital is the public option. It costs the least, but expect long waits.
- For an ambulance anywhere in Thailand, call 1669. Save your chosen hospital’s emergency number too.
- Serious cases often leave the island by boat or air ambulance, so make sure your insurance covers medical evacuation.
Treatment Quality
For an island, Samui’s private hospitals are good. They see a lot of foreign patients, English isn’t a problem at the bigger ones, and they handle the everyday things well: fevers, infections, stitches, broken bones and check-ups.
Bangkok Hospital Samui stands out. More than 60% of its patients are foreigners, and residents who’ve lived on Samui for years say it’s the one they’d go to in an emergency, because it has the most specialists and equipment. A reader who was treated there for dengue some years ago described great care, a great room and no trouble with English, with only the food letting it down.
The honest limit is that Samui isn’t Bangkok. Residents who needed major heart surgery, for example, had it done on the mainland. For complex cases, your doctor will usually suggest a transfer, and we’d take that advice.
How Much Samui Hospitals Cost
Prices on Samui vary a lot from one hospital to the next, so we’ve given each one a rating instead of a price list. One $ is the cheapest on the island and $$$$$ is the most expensive.
- Bangkok Hospital Samui: $$$$$
- Samui International Hospital: $$$
- Wattanapat Hospital: $$
- Koh Samui Hospital (public): $
The ratings come from what readers report paying. In 2024, one resident compared doctor’s fees and found Bangkok Hospital Samui charged several times what Samui International did for a consultation, and another found Wattanapat cheaper again. None of the hospitals publishes a price for a doctor’s visit, so ask at the desk before you’re seen, and ask for a written estimate before any test or admission.
Some actual figures make the ratings easier to read. These are bills readers posted, with the year, and the prices Bangkok Hospital Samui lists on its website.
| Treatment | Hospital | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor’s consultation, medicine not included | Bangkok Hospital Samui | About THB4,500 | Reader, 2024 |
| Doctor’s consultation, medicine not included | Samui International Hospital | About THB1,200 | Reader, 2024 |
| Doctor’s consultation before a colonoscopy | Wattanapat Hospital | About THB400 | Reader’s receipt, 2023 |
| Broken ankle surgery with metal plates and four days in hospital | Bangkok Hospital Samui | Over THB800,000 | Reader, about 2023 |
| Standard room, per night | Bangkok Hospital Samui | THB4,000 to THB8,500 | Hospital website |
| VIP room, per night | Bangkok Hospital Samui | THB8,000 to THB12,000 | Hospital website |
| Breast cancer screening package | Bangkok Hospital Samui | THB2,500 | Hospital website |
The reader figures are two to three years old, so expect to pay somewhat more today.
Big bills can get very big. A reader who broke an ankle in a motorbike crash needed metal plates and four days in Bangkok Hospital Samui, and the bill ran to hundreds of thousands of baht. As they put it, when you need it, you need it. That’s the strongest argument we know for proper health insurance on Samui.
Medicine is where smaller bills grow. Residents say hospital pharmacies on the island charge several times what a pharmacy in town does for the same drug. Ask your doctor for the drug name, and for a long course of a common medicine, check a local pharmacy.
The Best Private Hospitals on Koh Samui
The three private hospitals are spread across the north and east of the island, between Bo Phut and Chaweng.
Bangkok Hospital Samui ($$$$$)
Bangkok Hospital Samui opened in 2004 and is part of the Bangkok Hospital group. It has 50 beds, a 24-hour trauma and emergency department and an ambulance boat that brings patients over from Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.
It’s the hospital residents trust with anything serious, and the one we’d choose in an emergency. Its Referral Center looks after foreign patients from booking to cost estimates, and its insurance department deals with your insurer for you. Readers describe it as expensive but efficient.
The downside is cost, and it’s a big one. It charges far more than the other hospitals for the same visit, and medicine prices are a common complaint. If you’re paying yourself, we’d use it for emergencies and specialists, and go elsewhere for an X-ray or a cold.
Good:
- Best equipment and most specialists on the island
- Used to foreign patients, with English throughout
- Handles your insurer for you and links to the group’s air and sea ambulances
Not so good:
- By far the most expensive hospital on Samui
- High medicine prices
- Bills can grow fast if you’re not insured
Wattanapat Hospital Samui ($$)
Wattanapat Hospital Samui is the big purple building on the ring road in Bo Phut, near Big C. It has a 24-hour emergency department with doctors on duty around the clock, ambulances equipped for advanced life support, and clinics for internal medicine, surgery, bones, ear, nose and throat, women’s health and children.
Residents who’ve used it say it’s good and noticeably cheaper than Bangkok Hospital Samui, and local clinic doctors send patients there for X-rays. A reader who went there with a kidney stone in 2026 was struck by how quickly they were seen and how clearly the doctors explained things. It also has a Social Security clinic, which matters if you’re covered through a Thai job.
The trade-off is depth. For complex cases, it refers patients on to bigger hospitals, and it doesn’t list its insurers online.
Good:
- Much cheaper than Bangkok Hospital Samui
- 24-hour emergency department and ambulances
- Social Security clinic for workers
Not so good:
- Fewer specialists for complex problems
- Call ahead to check direct billing with your insurer
Samui International Hospital ($$$)
Samui International Hospital is on North Chaweng Beach Road, with a 24-hour ER, its own ambulance and a vaccination centre. It also helps with international assistance and medical evacuation.
Residents use it as the middle option. It’s cheaper than Bangkok Hospital Samui for a doctor’s visit, and one long-time resident uses it for X-rays and ultrasounds but goes to Bangkok Hospital for specialists like heart and urology.
Good:
- Lower prices than Bangkok Hospital Samui
- Convenient if you live or stay in Chaweng
- Fine for scans, vaccines and routine visits
Not so good:
- Fewer specialists, so serious cases go elsewhere
- Little information online, so phone first
The Public Hospital: Koh Samui Hospital
Koh Samui Hospital is the island’s government hospital, on +66 77 913 200. It’s the cheapest way to see a doctor on Samui, and some residents have had good experiences there, especially those without insurance or with low limits on their policy.
You’ll pay for the savings in time. Even residents who are entitled to use it through Social Security say the waiting time can be long, and some readers’ friends wouldn’t go back. There’s no English website, so call ahead to ask about English support and what a foreigner pays, and bring a Thai speaker if you can. We’d use it for non-urgent care when cost matters most, not in an emergency.
Making an Appointment
You can book by phone or through the hospital’s website, or walk in. For a specialist, call ahead, especially at Bangkok Hospital Samui, where the Referral Center helps foreign patients choose a doctor, book a time and get a cost estimate.
| Hospital | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Bangkok Hospital Samui | +66 77 429 500 | Visit site |
| Wattanapat Hospital Samui | +66 77 965 889 | Visit site |
| Samui International Hospital | +66 77 300 394 | Visit site |
| Koh Samui Hospital | +66 77 913 200 | None in English |
On your first visit you’ll register with your passport and get a hospital number that keeps your records together. Residents like having all their records at one hospital, so pick one and stick with it for routine care.
Emergencies and Outpatient Care
For anything that can wait a day, book a normal outpatient visit. For chest pain, a bad accident, trouble breathing or heavy bleeding, go to the emergency room (ER). Bangkok Hospital Samui, Wattanapat and Samui International all run one 24 hours a day.
For an ambulance, call 1669. It’s Thailand’s free national emergency medical number, and it works on Samui too. You can also call a hospital’s own emergency line: +66 77 429 500 for Bangkok Hospital Samui or +66 77 965 998 for Wattanapat, whose ambulances go to hotels, homes and accident scenes across the island.
At a private ER, staff treat you first and sort out payment while you’re being looked after. Bring your passport and insurance card if you can, or keep photos of both on your phone. Motorbike accidents are the classic Samui emergency, so if you ride, save these numbers today.
Read more: Emergencies in Thailand: what to do and who to call
Using Insurance at a Samui Hospital
Bangkok Hospital Samui is the easiest place to use international insurance. Its insurance department checks your cover, estimates the cost and asks your insurer for approval, so the bill can go straight to your insurer instead of you. The Bangkok Hospital group publishes its list of contracted insurers, and the group’s contact centre on 1719 can tell you if yours is on it.
Wattanapat and Samui International don’t list their insurers online, so call before a planned visit and ask whether they’ll bill yours directly. If they won’t, pay at the counter and claim it back with the itemised bill and medical certificate. If you’re still choosing a plan, the health insurance in Thailand guide compares the main types.
Tips for Visiting Hospitals on Koh Samui
- Bring your passport, or at least a photo of the photo page and your latest visa stamp.
- Bring your insurance card and your insurer’s 24-hour assistance number.
- Bring a list of your medicines and doses in English.
- Carry a credit card. If your insurer isn’t on the hospital’s list, you pay first.
- Tell your landlord or housemates which hospital you use and where your insurance card is.
- Check that your policy covers medical evacuation, and how much. On an island, it matters more than almost anywhere else.
- Ask before every test: why it’s needed, what it costs and whether your insurance covers it.
Leaving the Island for Serious Care
Serious cases leave Samui by medical transfer, not on the regular ferry or a scheduled flight. The Bangkok Hospital group’s Medevac Center runs this on hotline 1724 (+66 2 226 4565 from abroad), with a speedboat ambulance based at Bangkok Hospital Samui and air ambulances that can reach you in 4 to 10 hours, depending on the airport and flight permits.
The Medevac Center works out the medical need, the cover and the cost with your insurer, so call your insurer’s assistance line at the same time as the hospital. Air ambulance prices aren’t published, and they’re high, which is why evacuation cover matters so much on an island.
For planned treatment in Bangkok, you can take a ferry or a normal flight once your doctor says you’re fit to travel. The living in Koh Samui guide covers flights and ferries off the island.
Read more: Private Hospitals in Bangkok: Costs, Insurance, and How to Choose
How to Choose the Right Hospital for You
The best hospital is the one that fits your problem, your insurance and where you live.
- Emergency or specialist problem: Bangkok Hospital Samui.
- Everyday care with good insurance: Bangkok Hospital Samui, or whichever hospital bills your insurer directly.
- Everyday care paying yourself: Wattanapat Hospital, or Samui International if you’re in Chaweng.
- Non-urgent care on a tight budget: Koh Samui Hospital, with time to spare and a Thai speaker.
Whichever you pick, register there once while you’re healthy, so your records are on file and you know the way in an emergency. Before you sign a lease, check how far the place is from your hospital.
Looking for a plan Samui hospitals accept? Carsten Creutzburg is an independent insurance broker who lives in Thailand and has more than 20 years in the insurance industry in Germany and Asia. Tell him what you need and he’ll send you up to three quotes. His advice is free. Get free quotes from Carsten (Sponsored)
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best hospital on Koh Samui for foreigners?
Bangkok Hospital Samui has the most specialists and equipment and deals with international insurers for you. It’s also the most expensive. Wattanapat Hospital is a cheaper private option for everyday care.
What number do I call for an ambulance on Koh Samui?
Call 1669, Thailand’s free emergency medical number. You can also call Bangkok Hospital Samui on +66 77 429 500 or Wattanapat on +66 77 965 998.
Do I need medical evacuation cover to live on Koh Samui?
We’d strongly recommend it. Serious cases leave the island by ambulance boat or aircraft, and that’s expensive. Check your policy’s evacuation limit and whether it covers a transfer to a mainland hospital.
Can I use my international insurance on Koh Samui?
Yes, especially at Bangkok Hospital Samui, which uses the Bangkok Hospital group’s list of contracted insurers. Call the other hospitals before a planned visit to check.
Is there a public hospital on Koh Samui?
Yes, Koh Samui Hospital, on +66 77 913 200. It’s much cheaper than the private hospitals, but waits can be long and English is limited.
What happens if I need major surgery or cancer treatment?
Ask your doctor whether it can be done on the island. If not, the hospital and your insurer arrange a transfer to the mainland, usually to Bangkok.
Sources Cited
- Bangkok Hospital Samui, Our Story: founding year, beds, share of foreign patients, ambulance boat.
- Bangkok Hospital Samui, Trauma and Emergency Department: 24-hour emergency and phone number.
- Bangkok Hospital Samui, Referral Center: foreign-patient service and cost estimates.
- Bangkok Hospital Samui, Insurance Department: cover checks, estimates and insurer approval.
- Bangkok Hospital Samui, Room Rates: standard and VIP room prices.
- Bangkok Hospital Samui, Caring Legacy: breast cancer screening package price.
- Bangkok Hospital, Insurance: contracted insurer list and the 1719 contact centre.
- BDMS Medevac Center: 1724 hotline, sea and air evacuation, insurer coordination.
- BDMS Emergency Services, Scope of Services: Samui sea transport and air ambulance response time.
- Wattanapat Hospital Samui, Emergency Department: 24-hour emergency, ambulances, phone.
- Wattanapat Hospital Samui, Contact Us: address and phone numbers.
- Wattanapat Hospital Samui, SSO Department: Social Security clinic.
- Samui International Hospital: address, phone, 24-hour emergency room, services.
- Koh Samui Municipality, emergency numbers: Koh Samui Hospital number and 1669.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, emergency hotlines: 1669 and 1155.
