The truth is some Thai doctors are full-time moonlighters. They maintain office hours at several hospitals througout the week. Here, it's not unusual to see the same doctors at two or even three different hospitals on the same day! These moonlighters are well-trained magnet doctors, hence, hospitals are willing to have them on payrolls on a part-time basis.

Another type of moonlighters also exist here. These are lecturers in a teaching hospitals. During business hours, they work at one of half a dozen medical schools/teaching hospitals in Bangkok. After regular hours and on weekends, they work at a private hospital. These part-time moonlighters are called "Ajarn-Mor" by Thais. It means the doctors' teacher because they tend to be well respected among doctors and have extensive experience in their specialty. One way to spot them is to look for a doctor who only works in the evening and on weekends.

Still, the majority of Thai doctors are full-timers, and work at one hospital. If you choose to see one of these doctors, you will be able to see them at the same hospital pretty much anytime throughout the year.

Comments (2)

Seeing the moonlighters in their private clinics?
written by Beehive, August 29, 2010

I have heard that some of these doctors have a private practice that they supplement by working some hours at a hospital.. and that if you can track down their clinic, you can get cheaper prices.

I had one doctor tell me that it was unethical for him to tell a patient that they could see him anywhere but at the hospital that "got" the patient for him, and that makes sense.

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See them at a public hospital for even lower prices
written by geomark, May 03, 2012

Same experience as Beehive mentioned. In my case I needed a good foot doctor and my cousin who is a nurse at Siriraj Hospital recommended their top foot doc. Turns out he also practices at Bumrungrad and Phyathai. Siriraj, a public hospital, was a lot less convenient due to location and hours - "special clinic" hours in the evenings when non-Thais can visit. But that's where I found him so he was obliged to continue to treat me there. He did mention, however, that I would pay 2X to 3X the price if he treated me at one of the private hospitals. Same doc and procedure, just different price, and of course fancier lobbies and rooms. Even without the glitz it was a good overall experience. The whole story, including a pic of the piece of bone they cut out of my foot for those who are interested is here http://medicaltravelsite.com/b...n-bangkok/

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