Koh Samui Hospitals

Picture from Beyond the Sea at the ShaSa Resort

In recent years, medical tourism has grown to become an important segment in the travel and tour industry in the island of Koh Samui located in the Gulf of Thailand, about an hour’s flight from the Thai capital Bangkok.  Substantially lower hospitalization rates, coupled with the island’s resort ambience, makes Samui an attractive destination for patients seeking either minor or major treatment.

Indeed, a lot of savings can be realized by those who opt to have a major operation, cosmetic procedures or dental work during their stay at ShaSa Resort. For a heart bypass, for instance, the medical expenses which a patient will incur in the island can approximately be only about 10% of the cost of a similar procedure in the States. Similar lesser-priced services are available too in Bangkok and Phuket, but still the best deals can be had in Samui.

Available choices

The medical facilities in the island are at par with the high Western standards. The local hospital’s staff members, particularly its doctors, are fluent in English. Some are even conversant in French and German, having taken their schooling in reputable medical schools overseas.  Bangkok Hospital Samui is a popular choice for expats and foreigners seeking treatment in the island, precisely because of its English-speaking doctors, superb facilities, and value-for-money services.

There are at least two other suitable alternatives should doctor appointments are a bit heavy at Bangkok Hospital Samui. An alternative is the Thai International Hospital, one of the newly established facilities in the island. It has a convenient location too, as its campus straddles the boundaries of the Lamai and Bophut districts in Koh Samui.

Resort-like alternative

Up-to-date facilities await those who choose to avail of the hospital’s highly professional services. Besides an A&E trauma center available 24/7, this hospital also has a haemodialysis center. Cosmetic surgery is one of the specializations at this hospital which a resident plastic surgeon under its employ.

Samui International is another new private hospital in the island which has already elicited high ratings among patients from overseas. It specializes in both inpatient and outpatient treatments. Confinement in this hospital is like a resort stay as it has a swimming pool onsite. Pediatrics, orthopedics, gynecology, and dental treatment are among the hospital’s services.