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HospitalsFor medical emergencies, call 1669 (a 4-digit phone number). Most people go to a hospital, not a clinic, for nearly everything. While I'm not a doctor, I have always thoroughly researched most every ailment that I, my family, and my close friends experience. Now, it's much easier on the internet, but before I did this in libraries and bookstores. I am a scientist by degree (physicist), was a researcher before, and am able to cut thru hype and sales journalism by going right into scientific studies with a critical mind in my research and analysis. Therefore, I find that I usually have a much better understanding of things than my friends and associates, and doctors are also surprised by my knowledge when I do walk into a doctor's office and discuss an ailment. In the USA, most doctors I met were very disappointing, and I walked out of many places without paying my bill. It seemed that many doctors in the USA got into their profession because it offered the opportunity to make a lot of money, not because they were interested in the human body from a scientific standpoint. They also processed many patients quickly, and hit you (and presumably your insurance company) with a big bill in their game. Health care in Thailand has usually been surprisingly good for me, and most of my experiences have been in the suburbs and outer provinces since 1994. I have found the Thai doctors to be very knowledgeable, willing to patiently take their time to listen and really analyze your condition, and keep up in their fields in the latest knowledge, generally. Emphasis is put on prevention and natural remedies, with less reliance on medicine, and they can usually tell you the side effects of medicines. When I first went into a small suburban hospital, I was blown away by the doctor's knowledge, the quality of service, and the good English of the doctors (but not most of the staff). Thai doctors don't make a lot of money like in the west, and it seems that they get into the field because they are interested in the human body as scientists, not money makers. (Doctors make OK money in Thailand, but not comparable to the west.) My worst experiences have been in particular Bangkok city center hospitals which cater to wealthy foreigners, whereby I have been less impressed with some of the doctors, and felt a bit more like I did in the American system -- run me thru the mill and sock me with a bill. However, some of the advice I've received has been questionable, as have some prescriptions to associates. I would take a Thai hospital over an American one any day. Thailand is also not a litigious country, and its parliament has continuously resisted falling into that trap, unlike America. After this good service, when I go to pay the bill, it is normally a small fraction of what I would pay overseas, amazingly economical. However, there are traps to watch out for. Since about the year 2000, some hospitals have apparently told their doctors that it is a policy to recommend in-patient overnight observation whenever plausible, not because it's needed but so they can charge more. Thais I know who respect authorities and fell for this got little attention from doctors and nurses anyway. American business practices have come to Thailand... Also, drug companies give incentives to doctors and hospitals to prescribe their drugs. There is considerable corruption, but you can usually sense this with a doctor. Sometimes, you need to go to a second doctor. There are also a few awful private hospitals in the suburbs, poorly managed. However, most of them are good and proper. For now, I will just list some hospitals. There are not in order of recommendation. It's a list I should qualify sometime, but that will be quite a project. The hospitals I go to usually have just ordinary middle class Thais walking around, not what you'd call upscale. Sometimes, I will go to an upscale hospital like one in the Samitivej chain. My favorite economical hospital in the mid range of private hospitals is Nonthavej Hospital next to The Mall Ngamwongwan.
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