Hua Hin gets (more or less) complete Bangkok Hospital

Hua Hin has always been a white spot in the eyes of Bangkok Hospital. With the opening of the new hospital on Petchkasem Road in the royal resort town, the white spot after April 6 has disappeared for good.

Hua Hin will have a fully-fledged hospital, although some specialists will not be available all the time. Patients with complicated medical problems are quickly transported to the mother hospital in Bangkok. This was stated by Dr. Michael Moreton, international medical coordinator of the hospital group at the monthly meeting of the Dutch Association of Hua Hin and Cha Am.

Bangkok Hospital has a total of 19 hospitals, 2 of which are in Cambodia. But the hospital in Hua Hin is the first in the group to be completed on schedule. First of all, the First Aid recently became operational, followed by the clinic. From now on, patients can also go to the rooms, while the operating rooms will also be operational from April 6. Difficult cases go straight to Bangkok with their own ambulances. In the first three months of this year, there were an average of 8 patients per week, out of 500 to 600 patients who presented to the ER during that period.

Dr. Moreton (73, originally a gynaecologist) believes that a hospital should have more 'general practitioners'. Patients generally feel more at ease with their own 'family doctor'. From the beginning of April in the Bangkok Hospital in Hua Hin fully operational, with its own internists, gynaecologists, cardiologists and paediatricians. The hospital had not counted on the latter category, given the relatively high average age of the (foreign) residents of Hua Hin. In the months of December and January, however, many children appear to visit their parents and grandparents. Specialists such as dermatologists, rheumatologists and orthopedists also hold regular consultation hours in Hua Hin.

The hospital has the most modern equipment, including an MRI scan. If desired, photos can be sent digitally to Bangkok and viewed there in peace. In some cases, the patient goes to the hospital in Bangkok, transported by state-of-the-art ambulances, a kind of mobile intensive care units.

Dr. Moreton emphasizes the high level of hygiene in the hospital, to prevent any cross-infections. Partly for this reason, each patient has their own room.

A possible problem is the communication between foreign patients, doctors and nurses, which accounts for half of the number of visitors at the weekend. On weekdays, their number is 62 percent. Scandinavians make up the majority with 40 percent of the foreign guests, followed by the Dutch and Germans. In some cases, online interpreters are available in Bangkok. All doctors have completed part of their training abroad and speak good English. This is less the case with nursing staff, also because the Thai government does not allow to select on this point.