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Related articles about health issues : Hospitals in Bangkok | Dental Services | Eye Clinics | Pharmacies | Shortcomings of Thai Healthcare
If you travel to Thailand or are residing in the country, you will have ample choice between hospitals if you consider undergoing a medical check-up. Most hospitals (also those not listed here) will have differently priced packages going from a basic medical check-up to quite elaborate investigations (though very rarely including invasive tests, except of course taking blood samples).
From what we hear around us, medical check-ups seem to be recommended yearly for anyone aged 50 (or is that 40?) or more. However, one should always use common sense in individual cases. Whether you like to have medical investigations that often, relies mainly on the extent your life is medicalized, and whether you can stand the anxiety of waiting for test results and its consequences.
Bumrungrad Hospital
Bumrungrad certainly is the best known (and best marketed) internationally oriented hospital in Bangkok. It recently expanded its out-patient facilities, by building a new dedicated building.
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The new building at Bumrungrad Hospital, with car parking on the lower floors and many clinics higher up. |
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There are four different packages for health screening, named : regular, executive, executive with exercise test, and comprehensive. Prices range from 3,910 baht to 18105 (19,870 for females) baht. At the time we visited their website prices were (temporarily?) discounted to between 2,600 and 13,000 (15,300 for females) baht.
The regular package includes a physical exam, standard blood work (including liver, kidney, lipid profiles, blood cell counts), urine and stool exam, chest X-ray. Actually, we were quite impressed when we noticed this package. At the prices quoted it is a real bargain (doctor's fee is included in the price).
Their most expensive 'comprehensive' package, lists many more blood tests, including tests for hepatitis, thyroid function, markers for various tumors. Further included are : whole abdomen ultrasound, electrocardiogram, eye exam, mammogram for females, exercise stress test OR echocardiogram for males (why not for females?)
Bumrungrad Health Screening Program
If the above link is not working (Bumrungrad's website undergoes unexpected changes at times), you can go to the main Bumrungrad Hospital page .
Bangkok General Hospital
Bangkok General is the other main hospital catering to international patients. Hospitals affiliated with Bangkok General are BNHHospital and Samitivej Hospital. Bangkok General is tucked away somewhere along Petchburi Road, and a bit more difficult to access.
I guess you can make your own pick, but they list 3 different check-up programs for 3 age groups. Maybe this is meant as recommended packages for different age groups.
They are named : vital, supreme and ultimate. Prices (at time of our visit) range from 4,160 baht to 21,790 baht (30,760 baht for females). It looks like there are also discounts available (do hospitals operate like supermarkets in Thailand?) which changes the rates quoted to between 2,650 baht and 15,680 baht (21,840 for females).
The vital package consists of about the same tests as the basis package at Bumrungrad, but does not include a stool exam. The ultimate package also includes an hearing exam, and a dental exam, bone densitometry for women (when compared to the comprehensive program at Bumrungrad). It does include an exercise test, but not a sometimes more useful echocardiogram exam of the heart.
Bangkok International Hospital Check-Up Programs - Bangkok General Website
BNH Hospital, Convent Road (off Sathorn Road)
Part of the Bangkok General Group, BNH Hospital (formerly known as Bangkok Nursing Home) also offers comprehensive check-up programs. The hospital is smaller, and not as fancy as the two hospitals mentioned above, but is more easily 'navigated', once inside.
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BNH Hospital (formerly known as Bangkok Nursing Home) is part of the Bangkok General Hospital Group. It is located on Convent Road (connecting road between Silom Road and Sathorn Road, Bangkok) |
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Health Check-up Programs include : Classic, Gold, Platinum and Pre-Employment packages.
The Classic program is priced at 3,900 baht. It includes basically the same tests as the basic programs at the other hospitals above, but both an electrocardiogram and a chest X-ray are included, as well as a hospital meal, and a check-up report. Urine exam is included, but not stool exam. You can also add other tests to your basic list of tests (long list of priced items to choose from).
The Platinum Program is priced at 14,900 baht. Tests are different for males and females, but the program is priced the same for both sexes. Strangely the package does not include and echocardiogram or an exercise stress test for the heart. Furthermore, you have to make a choice between an ultrasound of the lower OR upper abdomen (sound really strange, why not do a complete exam when you are at it). A mammogram, pap test, pelvic examination are included for females, a barium enema and vascular screening for peripheral disease are included for males. Various tumor markers are included in the blood tests.
Separately, there are three check-up programs for evaluating your heart. They are named : general, master and premier heart check-up program. The premier heart check-up program includes standard blood tests (including of course, a lipid profile), electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, exercise stress test, vascular disease screening, and is priced at 16,200 baht (promotion price).
BNH Check-up Programs
Bangkok Christian Hospital (on Silom Road)
Bangkok Christian Hospital does not offer a fancy lobby, and does not offer flashy surroundings and facilities either. Our personal experience however is, that this small hospital does offer reliable examinations at much lower prices than the other hospitals listed. So if you can forgo luxury (and do not associate it with quality), this hospital is worth checking out.
Their package for people older than 45 years includes all the basic blood tests (liver, kidney, blood counts, lipid profile), an electrocardiogram, a chest X-ray, a PSA (prostate) for males, and a pap smear for females at 3,000 baht for males, and 3,300 baht for females.
You can however add other tests from a list. For example, whole abdomen ultrasound is priced at 2,800 baht. An echocardiogram for 3,000 baht and an exercise stress test for 2,500 baht. Our impression is that prices are 30-40% lower than prices quoted from the other hospitals.
[We regularly go there to have our lipid profile checked. The price is 500 baht for the blood tests, at Bumrungrad we paid around 1,200 baht]
However, you should expect less efficiency in moving about the place going from test to test, and maybe some more time to have all tests done. However, we know from experience that blood tests take only about 1 hour to get the results.
Bangkok Christian Hospital Check-Ups
Be aware, that other hospitals in Bangkok also offer check-up programs. The programs however are not always well specified or priced when visiting their websites. You want more, check out Bangkok Pattaya Hospital in Pattaya.
The Grand Executive Check-Up Package is priced at 104,000 baht. Among many other tests it includes : MRI of the brain, Computer Tomography (CT) of the abdomen and the chest, CT of the coronary arteries, gastroscopy, ultrasound whole abdomen, an overnight stay in a luxury room. Strangely neither an echocardiogram or exercise stress test are listed.
By the way, if you are interested in CT of the heart (coronary arteries), surely you can also request this exam at Bumrungrad Hospital or Bangkok General Hospital.
Bangkok Pattaya Hospital Grand Executive - Bangkok Pattaya Hospital
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