How to Lower Your Hospital Expenses with Government Hospitals

Government hospitals in Thailand provide a good level of care at a very affordable price. Being under public agencies such as the Ministry of Public Health, the military and police, or medical schools, they can provide low-cost treatment that is often much cheaper than private hospitals to both Thai citizens and international patients.

Unless it’s a small hospital in a rural area, doctors’ expertise and medical equipment in many large government hospitals are similar to private hospitals. Some big hospitals run by medical schools such as Siriraj Hospital, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital , and Ramathibodi Hospital can even have better equipment than private hospitals.

Although some public hospitals charge foreigners under separate pricing from Thais, they are still much lower than private hospitals in many cases, especially for serious cases requiring surgery and admission.

Government hospitals are also crowded. You’re usually required to get there early in the morning–like 6:00 AM–to queue up to see the doctor. Some people may get there even earlier than that.

Because of the time you need to spend at government hospitals, it might not be worthwhile spending your whole day there to get treatment for non-serious diseases.

However, for more serious cases that require surgery or several medical follow-ups, public hospitals are going to save you money.

Language support varies. Premium clinics at some public hospitals may have English-speaking staff, but you may still want to bring a translator or Thai friend to help you.

Here’s a list of government hospitals you can go. They are big hospitals with good facilities.

Bangkok:

• Siriraj Hospital
• King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital
• Ramathibodi Hospital
• Phramongkutklao Hospital
• Police General Hospital
• Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital

In addition to these big public hospitals, there are hospitals that specialize in certain healthcare:

Children

• Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health

Skin Disease

• Institute of Dermatology

Cancer

• National Cancer Institute of Thailand

Mental Illness

• Srithanya Hospital

Chiang Mai:

• Sripat Medical Center
• Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital (known as Suandok hospital by locals)
• Nakornping Hospital

Phuket

• Vachira Phuket Hospital
• Thalang Hospital
• Patong Hospital

Other Provinces

Although your options for hospitals in other provinces are limited, there will be one main hospital in each province or district.