Bumrungrad Hospital, Bangkok

Many of my friends thought I was mad to have my operation in Bangkok.

"What if they take out a kidney while you are under anaesthetic?".

But in reality, the level of service available in Bumrungrad International Hospital is very high.

What about the doctors? Are they professional? From my experience, yes. I am no medical expert, so I cannot judge on the quality of my knee arthroscopy operation, but Doctor Panya came across as knowledgable, understanding, experienced and confident. All facets you would hope for in your doctor.

The hospital itself was organised, calm, clean and modern. It was full of international patients. Most local Thai's cannot afford to go to Bumrungrad. It is highly expensive by their standards.

In fact, Bumrungrad is a world leader in the fast growing industry known as 'medical tourism'. Why wait for 6 months for an operation on the NHS when you can take a holiday in Thailand and get your hip replaced or your teeth repositioned while you are there?

Room for improvement

If you are seeking medical treatment, I recommend you consider medical tourism and treatment at the Bumrungrad in particular. However, Bumrungrad could do better in these areas:

  1. Communication - Bumrungrad did not reply to my emails (during my initial enquiries). Then, at the hospital, communication was sometimes poor. It is understandable - English is a foreign language for the hospital staff - but clear communication is important when it comes to healthcare. Sometimes I was misunderstood or I could not understand the hospital staff.
  2. Consultancy and advice - Most of what I know about my condition, the operation and the requirements for successful recovery I have gained from my own research on the web. I spent little more than 10 minutes in total with Doctor Panya before and after the operation. I do not fully understand the specific damage I had to my knee and I could have been given more advice on how to recover. This was partly due to communication difficulties but moreso due to the fact that Bumrungrad has become very popular and Doctor Panya has a lot of patients to deal with.
  3. Payment - In no circumstances will they operate without prior payment. My credit card was stuck in the post and although I knew the number, expiry and CV2 code, they would not accept it as payment without seeing the card. An electronic transfer was not possible because they insist on waiting until the money is in their account (proof of sending is not enough). To pay for it on someone elses card, they require: certified photocopy of front and back; certified copy of driving license/passport; consent letter from card owner. Too much hassle.

Paying for your operation

You need to pay Bumrungrad Hospital before you have an operation. They take credit cards but they do not accept UK Debit cards. You can also make an electronic bank transfer which takes 5 working days. The Bumrungrad bank details are:

Bumrungrad Hospital Public Co. Ltd, 33 Sukhumvit Soi 3, Klongtoey, Wattana, Bangkok, 10110
Bank Name: Citibank N.A., 82 North Sathorn Road, Bangkok, 10500, Thailand
Account: 5-550639-019
Swift Code: CITITHBX