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Updated August 2009. We noticed that prices of most packages have not risen over the last two years.
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. In some cases, the effect of X-ray radiation also have to be considered.
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. The Bumrungrad International Clinic was officially opened in August 2008. |
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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 4,980 baht to 24,200 baht (32,127 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 2,600 baht and 12,700 baht (17,700 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 : Pre-employment, Classic, Grande and The Royal.
The Classic program is priced at 5,030 baht. It includes basically the same tests as the basic programs at the other hospitals above (no HDL-cholesterol), 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 Grande Check-Up Programme is priced at 9,180 baht. For this price, you get in addition : test for hepatitis B, stool exam, HDL-cholesterol.
The Royal Check-Up Programme is the most extensive and offers additional different tests for females and males. It is priced at 25,110 baht for males and 24,430 baht for females.
It additionally includes : eye exam ; ear, nose and throat exam, ultrasound of whole abdomen ; pelvic exam, pap test, breast exam, mammography and ultrasound of breast for females ; exercise stress test or echocardiography for males ; additional lab tests, including cancer markers ; ABI vascular screening (?) for males.
Prices for all these programs are discounted (it seems at all times, a common Thai custom), the last time we checked to : 3,600 baht, 6,900 baht and 17,900 baht for Classic, Grande and The Royal respectively.
Links seem to change on their website, but at the moment of our latest this is the page about medical check-ups at BNH Hospital.
Bangkok Christian Hospital (on Silom Road)
[Update Jan. 2009]
Bangkok Christian Hospital has set up a separate facility on the second floor of its new building (called Welles building) which is located behind the rather grim and somewhat delapidated entrance building.
Our personal experience is, that Bangkok Christian Hospital offers 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 is priced at 9,080 baht for males (discounted to 7,600 baht), price for females was not quoted the last time we checked. The package includes all extensive blood tests (liver, kidney, blood counts, lipid profile), stool and urine exam, tumor markers, ultrasound for abdomen, an electrocardiogram, a chest X-ray, a PSA (prostate) for males, breast and pelvic exam and a pap smear test for females. There are also more basic packages, and you also choose a large number of tests from a list at your individual preference.
For example, whole abdomen ultrasound is priced at 3,200 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 600 baht for the blood tests, at Bumrungrad we paid around 1,200 baht]
Likely, pricewise Bangkok Christian Hospital is one of the best places to get blood work done. In March 2010 we had a lipid profile, liver profile and basic kidney function tests (BUN, creatinine) done for a total of just 1,600 baht (without a physician visit), which in our opinion is a good bargain. The only minor drawback is that the place where your blood is drawn is rather basic, so if you really need brand new furniture and young pretty nurses, you should not visit there. We certainly do not have any negative comments regarding cleanliness or hygiene.
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 - Link to Packages is located deep into the site.
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 89,300 baht (males). 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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