Originally Posted by
WingNut60
Immediate admission at Bumrungraad or queued for five hours in an ambulance outside Royal Perth Hospital?
Hmmmm....? Which one should I pick?
Or, which one is third world?
To be fair
Bumrungraad is a private hospital, RPH is a public hospital. If you have private insurance in either place you can skip ambulance queues and go to your private of choice. The major difference is in public hospitals.
The Difference Between Public and Private Hospitals in Thailand
The difference in Thailand between public and private hospitals is not so much about the quality of healthcare, especially in the larger cities, but more about ease of access and overall comfort. For a Westerner, it is easy and straightforward to make an appointment at a private clinic or hospital. A public clinic or hospital will generally require a first-time visitor to walk-in before being able to make appointments. Seeing a doctor on the same day without an appointment for a non-life-threatening condition generally requires arriving at the clinic between 6 and 7 in the morning. Once admitted to a public hospital, the conditions are much less comfortable than in a private one, with many more beds to a room, and often with outdated equipment and facilities. In rural areas, public hospitals may not have the equipment or specialists capable of handling major trauma injuries or severe illnesses. For some, this means choosing a permanent location in Thailand that allows access to Bangkok’s hospitals. For those who must make use of Thailand’s public hospital system, but want to avoid the long wait times and have access to nicer facilities, it is worth seeking out purchasing private medical services or using premium clinics within the government-run system.