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I thought I would post this as a reminder to any visitors to Thailand. Stogie, you may wish to pin this as the information is not widely known or understood.
This has been prompted by the death yesterday due to a heart attack of the owner of TQ2 gogo in Pattaya while playing a game of squash at the age of 41. Having read on another forum of the circumstances, I think its prudent just to alert people to the state of emergency medical treatment in Thailand. Hopefully you will never need it - but forewarned is a better situation than being on the receiving end of poor treatment.
In a nutshell their is NO emergency ambulance/paramedic service in Thailand. There is an institution which basically consists of volunteers using pick-up trucks who listen in on police frequency radios and try and do a good a job as they can. However by Western standards, the level of training is very poor and the service hit & miss to say the least.
For someone staying in central Bangkok in or around Nana- I would strongly recomend that you store the emergency telephone number for BUMRUNGRAD hospital in your mobile phone which is 02 667 2999. The hospital is between Sukhumvit Soi 1&3 and approx 500m from Nana Plaza. It also happens to be pretty much the best and most expensive of Thailands private hospitals. This hospital has a fleet of regular and critical care ambulances - the key is to say what you believe is wrong in order for the correct ambulance and team to be despatched. If you are having a suspected heart attack, its vital that you say that - they have a couple of fully equiped Coronory care ambulances just for that purpose and they will despatch these ambulances if someone calls saying they are dealing with a suspected heart attack. In Thailand, most ambulance staff are NOT in any shape or form medically trained - for that they supplement additional trained staff - hence another reason why its important to try and identify the suspected reason for the emergency.
Equally a lot of hospitals will page specialist doctors to be on hand when the ambulance arrives - ER room's in Thailand are NOT like the TV shows of Casualty in the UK and ER in United States with loads of experienced ER veterans able to deal with pretty much anything. They have to bring in specialists, hence the 10-20minutes notice period can allow them to get the right doctors on the scene of the ambulance arrival. I have experienced that myself when I was rushed into Bumrungrad with a case of suspected spinal meningitis (Sp), they had brought in 3 specialists to examine me the moment I had arrived due to the seriousness of this condition (it turned out to be nothing more than severe food poisoning, but that was due to mis-diagnosis at a hospital in Pattaya).
So once you are in the hospital as quickly as the doctor is examinig you, a clerk is also examing your ability to pay - there is minimal free emergency treatment in Thailand and certainly not at private hospitals such as Bumrungrad. You will need to have ready details of your insurance company and or credit card information. Without that, you will gets lots of concerned and comforting smiles, but NO treatment. Money is king in Thailand - without it, dont expect to get treated. Promises of 'sort it out later' as you are doubled up in agony rarely work. So keep your insurance details to hand and/or credit cards. The Free or emergency hospitals have a reputation summed up nicely by an elderly Thai 'father' figure when I first came to Thailand - as we were driving past one of these 'free' hospitals' he remarked, something like "go in alive, come out dead everytime" - I think that nicely sums up how most Thais feel about emergency or police hospitals as they are known.
DO NOT ASSUME THAT OTHERS WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY. Thai's will rarely even know the number for Bumrungrad let alone suggesting that its the place to go - you need to know this information yourself.
Incidentally, if you can walk, your often better of jumping into a taxi than waiting for an ambulance - odds are you will arrive at the hospital far more quickly.
Similar info will follow for Pattaya and anyone with up to date info on medical situation in Phuket might wish to add something as well.
Cheers
Mardhi
This has been prompted by the death yesterday due to a heart attack of the owner of TQ2 gogo in Pattaya while playing a game of squash at the age of 41. Having read on another forum of the circumstances, I think its prudent just to alert people to the state of emergency medical treatment in Thailand. Hopefully you will never need it - but forewarned is a better situation than being on the receiving end of poor treatment.
In a nutshell their is NO emergency ambulance/paramedic service in Thailand. There is an institution which basically consists of volunteers using pick-up trucks who listen in on police frequency radios and try and do a good a job as they can. However by Western standards, the level of training is very poor and the service hit & miss to say the least.
For someone staying in central Bangkok in or around Nana- I would strongly recomend that you store the emergency telephone number for BUMRUNGRAD hospital in your mobile phone which is 02 667 2999. The hospital is between Sukhumvit Soi 1&3 and approx 500m from Nana Plaza. It also happens to be pretty much the best and most expensive of Thailands private hospitals. This hospital has a fleet of regular and critical care ambulances - the key is to say what you believe is wrong in order for the correct ambulance and team to be despatched. If you are having a suspected heart attack, its vital that you say that - they have a couple of fully equiped Coronory care ambulances just for that purpose and they will despatch these ambulances if someone calls saying they are dealing with a suspected heart attack. In Thailand, most ambulance staff are NOT in any shape or form medically trained - for that they supplement additional trained staff - hence another reason why its important to try and identify the suspected reason for the emergency.
Equally a lot of hospitals will page specialist doctors to be on hand when the ambulance arrives - ER room's in Thailand are NOT like the TV shows of Casualty in the UK and ER in United States with loads of experienced ER veterans able to deal with pretty much anything. They have to bring in specialists, hence the 10-20minutes notice period can allow them to get the right doctors on the scene of the ambulance arrival. I have experienced that myself when I was rushed into Bumrungrad with a case of suspected spinal meningitis (Sp), they had brought in 3 specialists to examine me the moment I had arrived due to the seriousness of this condition (it turned out to be nothing more than severe food poisoning, but that was due to mis-diagnosis at a hospital in Pattaya).
So once you are in the hospital as quickly as the doctor is examinig you, a clerk is also examing your ability to pay - there is minimal free emergency treatment in Thailand and certainly not at private hospitals such as Bumrungrad. You will need to have ready details of your insurance company and or credit card information. Without that, you will gets lots of concerned and comforting smiles, but NO treatment. Money is king in Thailand - without it, dont expect to get treated. Promises of 'sort it out later' as you are doubled up in agony rarely work. So keep your insurance details to hand and/or credit cards. The Free or emergency hospitals have a reputation summed up nicely by an elderly Thai 'father' figure when I first came to Thailand - as we were driving past one of these 'free' hospitals' he remarked, something like "go in alive, come out dead everytime" - I think that nicely sums up how most Thais feel about emergency or police hospitals as they are known.
DO NOT ASSUME THAT OTHERS WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY. Thai's will rarely even know the number for Bumrungrad let alone suggesting that its the place to go - you need to know this information yourself.
Incidentally, if you can walk, your often better of jumping into a taxi than waiting for an ambulance - odds are you will arrive at the hospital far more quickly.
Similar info will follow for Pattaya and anyone with up to date info on medical situation in Phuket might wish to add something as well.
Cheers
Mardhi
Great post...
Interesting reading! 
), and sat in the road with blood flooding out from a badly cut leg. 
rungrad about 4 times I expect.
)
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