Steer clear

A very good friend of mine who lives in BKK went to them about 3 years ago as she and her hubby were having trouble getting pregnant. After many tests they emailed her a set of results that were not understandable to her as they were so scientific ('whatever' counts and such) but in time, the couple came to realise through other sources that the results meant they could never have children.

My friends were both very upset at the news and the way they were treated. They went to another BKK hospital (I'm sorry, neither I nor my other half can remember the name of the new hospital)- somewher near the Emporium I think. Anyway, long story short they gave birth to a beautiful baby 6 months ago.

This is not a 'friend of a sister's masseuse story'. These people are close friends of mine.

Bumrungrad- I woudn't touch them with a 20 foot pole- (Although handy as a shortcut to Soi 1). There are much better (and much cheaper) hospitals within spitting distance of that place. Less money on marketing I'm sure but better care and more empathy in the experience of the only person I know who has ever used them.

If I'd heard good reports of them I'd have reported that too- I have no axe to grind. But from what I've heard steer clear.

(by Slip via www.thaivisa.com/forum/Whats-Special-Bumrungrad-t213841.html)

See it.. it was a fabulous experience!

I went to Bangkok to visit Bumrungrad International Hospital. I booked my air travel thru Expedia.com. Bumrungrad is a world class hospital in every sense. Exceptional programs allowed me to have a number of tests (Including: Eye exam, Vitals, Physical Exam, Pap, Chest X-ray, Mammogram, Breast Ultrasound, Abdominal ultrasound, EKG, and Blood Work) all done between 8am and 11:30am in one morning. Not only that but the price for all of this was about 406.00. I do not have insurance so this was a great deal.
This hospital is a US Accredited hospital and you may be able to use your US insurance there. The majority of the workers spoke excellent English.


I booked a 2 bedroom 2 bath serviced apartment thru the hospital website. We Stayed at the Bumrungrad Suites. The place was clean and only a short distance from the hospital. We used the pool on the roof nightly. All of the staff spoke some English and we had no problems with communication.

We used Diethelm Travel to book a number of tours as well as used them for transfer to and from the airport.
The travel Guide we used most was Kaem, She was very informative and just a super person.

Be sure to pick up some general guidelines on dress and behavior before leaving the US and things will go much more smoothly.

As far as shopping we went to MBK, The Central, Siam Square and the Government sponsered night bazzar. My favorite shop hands down was Jim Thompson!

-Pack your sense of adventure and your patience, and you can't go wrong

- Look for Silks and Handbags

- Not to be missed: Rice barge Tour- It gives you an upclose view of the houses on the canals (Bangkok is the Venice of SE Asia).

Possible Drawbacks:
-Open hostility from a group from Saudi Arabia Which was strange to us but apparently not uncommon.
-Possible drawback is the unfamiliar food
-Possible drawback is the unfamiliar language and customs

(by Bissynut via http://www.epinions.com/review/trvl-Dest-Asia-Thailand-Bangkok/content_288311840388)

Prepare yourself to be pampered

You may think it odd to find a listing of a hospital in the Journal of a fellow traveler but believe me this place deserves all the recognition it can get.

Situated right in the centre of Bangkok, near Sukhamvit, Bumrungrad Hospital is the ultimate in healthcare luxury. A variety of treatment wards exist with one to suit every insurance bracket. Wards start with four beds and move up to two bedrooms before moving on to single rooms. Single rooms start at basic, which include private bathroom, refrigerator and mini-bar to Deluxe which also has full self-catering kitchen facilities and dining room. The next room category is VIP Suite, which has a guest's bedroom and bathroom and finally there is the Royal Suite which is ridiculously opulent for a hospital - I had it on good authority that popstars mainly used this room!

I unfortunately had broken my back whilst in Bangkok but fortunately my insurer put me into a Deluxe room. I've stayed in some of the best hotels in the world and my stay in this room was on a par! It was a shame that I had my injury as it was the only down side. For two weeks I was literally waited on hand and foot - fed, bathed, massaged, dressed, and entertained by the friendliest nurses I've ever met.

Bumrungrad showed me just how a hospital can be run with attentive service, good food, excellent facilities and a keen eye for the patient and their requirements. The hospital has realized that people like junk food and eating it makes them feel normal and so in the hospital is a MacDonalds and a Starbucks Coffee house. Great! And if you're incapacitated you can get a Big Mac, through room service delivered direct to your bed. This is customer service - this isn't lip service – this is the real thing. There is also an in-house food supermarket jam packed with all your needs - even beer!!

Needless to say, this hospital has won virtually every prize in the business and has accreditations that would make most multi-national corporations envious.

So if you are unlucky enough to sustain an injury whilst in bangkok, be sure you mention Bumrungrad to your insurer and prepare yourself to be pampered.

(by thebigfella via http://community.iexplore.com/planning/journalEntryFreeForm.asp?JournalID=25592&EntryID=16622&n=Bumrungrad%20Hospital&t=)

I highly recommend this hospital!

I have had surgery at this hospital and the standards are amazing. This hospital is even better then the hospitals in Sydney. I had my breasts done about a year ago and they are great i am very happy with them. My doctor was great and the nurses were amazing. They came to check on me so often checking if i was okay and seeing if i wanted anything. I was also really nervous before the operation and one held my hand and stroked my hair till i fell asleep. My friends are also going there this month to get their boobs done as they loved what the doctor did with mine. I believe there are good and bad doctors everywhere so research your doctor well. I have seen horrible jobs done here in sydney even when its done by the best surgeons. I highly recommend this hospital!

(by stephanieanne via www.travbuddy.com/Bumrungrad-Hospital-v1402)

You should really consider Bumrungrad Hospital

Revision 7 May 07. An acquintance of mine mentioned that he had read this review and was curious about my recommendations. Indeed, I have learned and heard more stories that I need to revise my review.

Several friends have told me of significant problems with mis-diagnosis and mis-treatment of conditions at Bumrungrad. The common thread seems to be that for complex or fairly uncommon conditions, the doctors commonly don't know how to handle the situation. For example, I have a friend who was being given treatment at Bumrungrad that was not helping his condition. On a hapenstance consultation with another doctor, he discovered that the treatment prescribed at Bumrungrad was actually worsening his condition. A new treatment is now helping him feel better.

The causes for this are probably complex, but I think there are two factors that are cause for concern. First, Thailand does not have any malpractice lawsuits. Although this may help keep the health care cheaper, it also means that there is no accountability for bad doctors. Also, I have heard second hand from other doctors that the culture of 'saving face' and status means that the hospitals will not keep records or speak about mistakes made by a doctor. You as the patient will not have any way to access a history of the doctors performance, and the hospital is loath to even discuss problems with the doctors. Finally, doctors are very hesitant to admit that they don't have a solution because to do so would be to loose face, so they will prescribe some treatment just to appear as if they are doing something.

This review is of course, only my opinion, but I think the bottom line is this. If you have routine conditions like food poisoning or bronchitis, you should be able to get the right treatment. But if you are dealing with a complex situation, you might get a second opinion at an unrelated hospital.

The original review is included below for reference.
Kelsey



A good thing to know when spending any significant period of time in a foreign country is where to get medical assistance. Bangkok hosts quite a few international quality hospitals, and the one considered to be the best in all of South East Asias is Bumrungrad.

Bumrungrad is located in between Soi's 1 and 3 on Sukhumvit Road, in the heart of Bangkok. The hospital does offer ambulance service, but in an emergency, you may be better off catching the nearest cab - the ambulance doesn't neccessarily get anywhere any faster than the cabs do. The hospital complex includes outpatient and inpatient centers, a long term stay facility, an emergency/trauma center and a fitness and nutrion center.

The hospital is a common destination for people seeking elective surgery, especially plastic surgery. The hospital is often crowded with Middle Easterners in town specifically to use the hospital. Travelers with less than urgent medical needs can often take a vacation in Bangkok and then get the surgery for the same cost as getting it done at home in a western country.

The rooms vary from nice to luxurious. Birthing suites in particular can be cheaper than some hotel rooms in the area, and feature large two room, two bath suites with televisions and restaurant food delivery. Regular regular can choose from private hospital rooms or multi room suites as well. A mother giving birth by C section can expect to be in the hospital for as long as she likes, and expect to get out for less than $1000 US, including the delivery.

Unlike western hospitals, Bumrungrad usually schedules appointments directly with specialists, rather than directing you to a generalist first. A patient with food poisoning should not be surprised to find themselves in the Digestive Disease center conlulsting a Gatroenterolgist. I myself have had a pnumonia diagnosis delivered by a Pulminary specialist trained at Harvard Medical School, and, including four medications, the total bill was $35 USD.

So, if you are considering Medical tourism, or find yourself in Bangkok in need of a doctor, you should really consider Bumrungrad Hospital. Other hospitals in the area, Including BNH and the like probably offer nearly equivalent level of service but Bumrungrad is renowned as the best in the region.

(by rideouts via www.travbuddy.com/Bumrungrad-Hospital-v1402)

Come very prepared know exactly what you want

i have just come back from bumrungrad after my breast augumentation and this is how it is.
my dr was not very helpful in the consultation he did not even recomend any size it was up to me entirely i just had to choose an implant out of 2 massive trays all he said was that 2 big was not beautiful. i was lucky i went for a consultation in australia first to suss out the size, texture and everything first so i knew what i wanted exactly. after the op he came to see me and took the bandages off i was surprised that the insision was not in the breast crease (2 cm above on my breast) a week later i went to the follow up and asked him. he said because of the size of the implant 250cc was very big for my frame so the insision had to be higher. i was so upset that i was not told this wuld happen otherwie i would have not gone with that size or insion site because now i have unsightly scars and there is no hope of them being natural looking at all. also i was not informed that textured implants were more expensive so i had to go with smooth and i asumed he would use high profiles not moderate, because of my small frame and the aus dr said that is all he would use but he did not.

over all i think there was just no communication whatsoever i had to ask all the questions no informtion was given to me except for aftercare.

my advice is to come very prepared know exactly what you want.

(by meeshelly87 via www.travbuddy.com/Bumrungrad-Hospital-v1402)

Hard to beat

I've had annual executive physicals done the past 4 years at Bumrungrad Hospital. The past 2 years, I've explicitly flown to Thailand to get my physical and then do a cycling trip through Asia. I've found the people, the Staff, the Doctors and facilities at Bumrungrad to exceed any facility I've visited in the U.S. I get an executive physical, with full blood workup, stress test, meet with cardiologist (who is knowledgeable and asks me a LOT of questions), and have a final 1/2 hr meeting with my assigned doctor to go over all my test results plus, having my prior year's results, she takes me through how I'm doing today to the past 4 years. I've just been totally satisfied with their competency and have highly recommended this facility to everyone I know coming to Thailand. I wouldn't think twice about having surgery done there, and am in fact, planning to have cosmetic surgery done this coming Sept. there. But the physical I get, I think costs me something like $350 for the day. They even give you a very nice bound binder of all your results which I give to my doctor at home. He told me at home, that it would cost over $3000 alone in the U.S. just for the blood workup. Hard to beat.

(by run50 via www.travbuddy.com/Bumrungrad-Hospital-v1402)

You'll be happy that you dealt with Bumrungrad

I found my experience at Bumrungrad Hospital to far exceed any expecations that I may have had prior to actually visiting the property. The entire staff, from surgeon to x-ray technician, displayed absolute and world class expertise in their professions. I realize that, being an American, seeking medical attention outside of the US may be daunting. Bumrungrad would definately compete with some of the finest hospitals in the US as would the medical professionals that staff the hospital.

My medical costs at Bumrungrad were close to 20% of what they would have been had I had the same procedures performed in the US. I can't even imagine what they costs would have been if I were in Europe.

I recommend Bumrungrad to all my friends and associates. One note, however, is that you can make all arrangements directly through Bumrungrad Hospital and their website, Bumrungrad.com. I initially used an international office out of Sydney, Australia, called All About Beauty as a booking agent. Huge Mistake. All About Beauty was really only all about money. In the end, I dealt directly with Bumrungrad and everything went smooth as silk.

You'll be happy that you dealt with Bumrungrad.

Be Well.

(by WorldClassTraveler via www.travbuddy.com/Bumrungrad-Hospital-v1402)