Page Contents

• Introduction [more]
• Private Hospitals [more]
• Public Hospitals and Clinics [more]
• Health Checks [more]

Hospitals in Hat Yai

Introduction

If you have a medical or dental problem, Hat Yai is a very good place to be as there is a big emphasis on healthcare. The Prince of Songkla University has highly respected medical, dental, nursing, pharmaceutical science, and traditional Thai medicine faculties. There are also a couple of independent nurse training establishments elsewhere in town and a nursing college in nearby Songkhla.

There are hundreds of pharmacies, and a host of small medical and dental clinics in the town. In addition there are two public hospitals, military hospitals, and four private hospitals.

Where do you go if you have a problem? If anything, you are a little spoilt for choice and consequently it can be a little confusing.

• Bangkok Hat Yai Hospital

  Address: 75 Soi 15 Phetkasem, Hat Yai, Songkhla, 90110
  Map: Map 2
  Telephone: +66 (0)74 272800
  Web Site: Bangkok Hospital Hat Yai
  E-mail: ContactBhh@bgh.co.th

  	Deg/Min/Sec	GPS
  Latitude	N 07° 01' 00.5"	N 07° 01.008'
  Longitude	E 100° 28' 59.6"	E 100° 28.993'

  Comments: As you walk in, you will think you are entering a five star hotel and you will be greeted by one of the many attractive greeters the hospital employs.

  You won't have to wait and everything will be taken care of for you, including your hospital registration. If you need to be admitted, you will be taken to a separate department where you can view and choose the kind of private room you wish to stay in.

  Private hospitals want foreign patients and the staff will speak English. It is a completely hassle-free experience, but it comes at a price. Compared to the West, the cost will be a lot cheaper but it is expensive by Thai standards.

  The individual tests in the health check packages are too many to list here. More expensive packages obviously include more tests. These prices were obtained in March 2012.

  • Freshy (up to 35 years old): Bt2,600 (normally Bt4,500)
  • VIP Working (age 35 - 45 men): Bt5,200 (normally Bt9,500)
  • VIP Working (age 35 - 45 women): Bt7,900 (normally Bt13,500)
  • VIP Golden (age 45 - 50 men): Bt10,900 (normally Bt19,800)
  • VIP Golden (age 45 - 50 women): Bt13,600 (normally Bt23,800)
  • Premium (age over 50 men): Bt25,500 (normally Bt36,300)
  • Premium (age over 50 women): Bt28,200 (normally Bt40,300)
   

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• Rajyindee Hospital

  Address: 119 Rajyindee Road, Hat Yai, Songkhla, 90110
  Map: Map 4
  Telephone: +66 (0)74 200200
  Web Site: Rajyindee Hospital

  	Deg/Min/Sec	GPS
  Latitude	N 07° 00' 05.9"	N 07° 00.098'
  Longitude	E 100° 28' 48.7"	E 100° 28.812'

  Comments: Cheaper and not quite as plush as the Bangkok Hat Yai hospital, but I've always found the service excellent and I've actually had better treatment here than at the other private hospitals. For this reason, Rajyindee is my own personal preference among the private hospitals in Hat Yai.

  Here are the prices for their health checks. To find out what is included in each check, you need to contact the hospital directly.

  • P1 Basic Health Check Up (age up to 30): Bt900 (normally Bt1,780)
  • P2 Standard Health Check Up (age 30 - 40): Bt1,500 (normally Bt2,680)
  • P3 Quality Health Check Up (age 40 - 50): Bt2,100 (normally Bt3,880)
  • P4 Executive Health Check Up (over 50): Bt3,100 (normally Bt5,280)
  • P5 Platinum Health Check Up (men over 60): Bt4,400 (normally Bt7,340)
  • P6 Platinum Health Check Up (women over 60): Bt4,700 (normally Bt7,850)
   

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• Sikarin Hospital

  Address: 169 Niphatsongkhro 1 Road, Hat Yai, Songkhla, 90110
  Map: Map 1
  Telephone: +66 (0)74 366966
  Fax: +66 (0)74 366955
  E-mail: sikarin@loxinfo.co.th

  	Deg/Min/Sec	GPS
  Latitude	N 07° 01' 24.3"	N 07° 01.405'
  Longitude	E 100° 28' 14.4"	E 100° 28.241'

  Comments: Similar to Rajyindee hospital but I prefer Rajyindee. Sikarin Hospital offers a range of health checks. The individual checks are too extensive to list here, but the more expensive the package, the more checks. These prices were obtained in March 2012.

  • Basic: Bt900 (normally Bt1,600)
  • General: Bt2,300 (normally Bt3,400)
  • Special: Bt3,400 (normally Bt4,800)
  • Platinum (men): Bt4,700 (normally Bt7,350)
  • Platinum (women): Bt5,400 (normally Bt8,000)
  • VIP Gold (men): Bt7,300 (normally Bt10,600)
  • VIP Gold (women): Bt8,200 (normally Bt12,250)

  They also offer a pre-marriage check where they do some basic checks and blood tests and specifically test for HIV.

  • Pre-marital (men): Bt2,000 (normally Bt2,500)
  • Pre-marital (women): Bt2,400 (normally Bt3,000)

  Specific tests can be included individually if they aren't included in the package - at an additional cost, of course.  

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• Friendship Unity Hospital

  Address: Saeng Sri Road, Soi 8, Hat Yai, Songkhla, 90110
  Map: Map 2
  Telephone: +66 (0)74 352900-3
  Web Site: Friendship Unity Hospital

  	Deg/Min/Sec	GPS
  Latitude	N 07° 00' 34.0"	N 07° 00.566'
  Longitude	E 100° 28' 30.4"	E 100° 28.506'

  Comments: The private hospitals listed above are characterised by their plush interiors and pretty nurses and reception staff who seem to have been selected for their looks rather than their ability. They are also relatively expensive for Thailand.

  This hospital is private but it looks just like a Thai public hospital. I've listed it as the Friendship Unity Hospital, but I can guarantee that the locals won't know what you are talking about if you use this term.

  The official name is Mitra-paap-saamuk-kee Hospital but Thais tend to refer to temples and other places by nicknames rather than official names. Colloquially, it is known as Siangtheung hospital.

  They can treat most things and there is also a dentist hospital and children's clinic. There is also a 24 hour emergency facility. It is just like a small public hospital, apart from the fact it is private.

  This hospital also offers a variety of health check programs to suit individual requirements and budgets. You can see that prices are a lot lower than the fancy private hospitals.

  • Program 1: Bt550 (normally Bt650)
  • Program 2: Bt1,050 (normally Bt1,330)
  • Program 3 (men): Bt2,400 (normally Bt2,800)
  • Program 3 (women): Bt2,100 (normally Bt2,500)
  • Heart program: Bt2,900 (normally Bt3,550)

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• The Prince of Songkla hospital (Map 2) is a university hospital and has an excellent reputation. People from all over the south of Thailand come here for treatment. It is referred to locally as PSU or Mor Or.

  The hospital has access to the latest technology and lab facilities exist which don't exist at the private hospitals. It's a lot cheaper than the private hospitals but there are disadvantages. Thousands of Thais have treatment here and there is no special treatment for foreigners.

  You will need to wait to see a doctor and you may have to wait for a long time. You won't be greeted by a pretty girl who holds your hand all through the registration process. You will need to do this yourself and if you don't speak or read any Thai the experience can be a little daunting.

• Hat Yai hospital, near the fresh market (Map 1), is another public hospital. One correspondent referred to it as a 'zoo'. I've been a few times to get paperwork for my daughter's treatment and I concur. I admire the work done by the doctors and nurses there but it isn't somewhere I would recommend to foreigners.

  Hat Yai Hospital Coordinates:

  	Deg/Min/Sec	GPS
  Latitude	N 07° 01' 00.3"	N 07° 01.005'
  Longitude	E 100° 28' 02.0"	E 100° 28.033'

If you have a problem with a specific part of your body, simply go to one of the excellent clinics in Hat Yai. You may have some communication problems with the receptionist, but all Thai doctors can speak English.

Hat Yai Clinics

Hat Yai Dental Clinics

Clinics have fixed opening times but hospitals, naturally, have emergency departments that are open 24 hours.

If you're worried about the type of treatment you will receive at the different places, I will explain how it works in Thailand.

Most doctors have a full-time job at a public hospital and work part-time at one of more private hospitals. Many also have their own private clinics which they attend in the evenings and at weekends.

At each place the surroundings may be a little different but you are going to get basically the same treatment. If a doctor doesn't have the facilities he needs at his clinic he will make an appointment to see you at one of the hospitals where he works.

The private hospitals make a big thing about the attractiveness of their greeters and their fancy rooms, but many things are superficial and you pay for these things. Clinics and public hospitals are a lot cheaper.

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Thai doctors are familiar with this requirement and any hospital should be able to help you for a small charge. It doesn't take long and doesn't cost much.

If you want a general blood test, or you wish to have your blood tested for a specific problem, there are clinics in Hat Yai that do this, such as Clinic MT Lab.

If you just want a general health check, the following information was furnished by author Marlane Guelden, who is a Songkhla resident.

"I have been looking at the different annual health physicals offered at hospitals in Hat Yai, which are attached. Also Prince of Songkla University hospital has a test package for 1,030B with about a 3 month waiting list. (I signed up for that package in person but you might be able to reserve it by phone.) But PSU does not have the heart exercise stress test (eg on treadmill).

These packages are a bit hard to find on the internet at hospital websites as they are often listed under Thai names, but when you find them, they have English translations. Also Bangkok - Hat Yai Hospital has a list of individual tests and prices so you can add specific tests if you want. Packages for women usually cost more because they include mammogram X rays and cervical pap smears. In general, Bangkok - Hat Yai is the most expensive (and thorough) and Rajyindee/Ratyindee is the cheapest. Tests take about 3 hours and you must fast the night before."

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