But What Now?

I was delighted to see an article in this month’s Fast Company called Medical Leave by Greg Lindsay. The article is about the state of health care in other parts of the world. Bumrungrad, located in Bangkok, Thailand was showcased in the article and is my personal favorite, mostly because I have been there numerous times and received first class care on every visit.

The opening quote of the article is

“This doesn’t look like a hospital, ” says Ruben Toral, showing me [the author] around. “It feels more like a hotel or an upscale mall.” After studying the gleaming lobby of Bumrungrad International for a minute or two, I’m inclined to agree. Americans in shorts recline across from Arab couples in flowing white dishdashas and black abayas, the latter accessorized with designer handbags and sunglasses. We’re in Bangkok in August, when even the asphalt is overripe and malodorous, but the only scent inside is a faint whiff of espresso from the Starbucks in the corner.”

Bumrungrad is a state of the art hospital in the heart of Bangkok, easy to get to from the sky train or by very inexpensive taxi. My partner and I have been seeing the same dentist there for 3 years now. This year when we visit will make it our fourth time. A cleaning costs around US $30.00 compared with between $126.00 to $195.00 here at home. I pay $195.00 because they call it a periodontal maintenance!

We are considering moving to Thailand when we retire and knew it was important to check out the quality of medical care before we made a decision to do this.

When we decided to get part of our dental care at Bumrungrad, we easily made our appointments online and were instructed to arrive early so we could register at the international desk. Registration was quick and easy and a fascinating experience sitting amidst people from all over the world.

We noted that there are a lot of people from the Middle East who come to Thailand for their medical care. According to the Fast Company article, most of the Middle Easterners are “…humble servants, shipped in bulk from Riyadh and Dubai because Toral cut a deal with their government to outsource their care to Bumrungrad.”

It seemed incongruous when friends of ours recommended the Italian restaurant in Bumrungrad, but we decided to give it a try after a dental cleaning appointment. We were not disappointed. This was not your ordinary hospital restaurant!

Last year I got sick from something I ate in Sri Lanka. After suffering (needlessly) for 3 days thinking I would get better, I finally made an appointment to be seen at Bumrungrad. It was easy to make this appointment because I was already registered with Bumrungrad. My partner called the hospital, gave them my patient number and they made an appointment with a gastroenterologist for an hour later. Just enough time for us to get across town!

He spoke excellent English and spent a good 20-30 minutes with me asking questions and doing an exam with a nurse assisting. He ordered lab tests and prescribed medications: an antibiotic, an herbal anti-gas, and an anti-spasmodic. I felt better in no time and wished I hadn’t waited!

After my exam, when he brought me my prescriptions, he said he noticed I was from Seattle. He said he had a son there and he missed him so much. He gave me his son’s name and asked that I give him a call. I agreed and when I got home I called the son. I think he was pretty surprised! I wonder if the old 6 degrees of separation no longer holds true. Perhaps it’s only 3 or 4.

The idea of receiving medical care overseas is becoming more popular, especially as medical costs continue to rise so dramatically in the U.S. Couple that with over 48 million U.S. citizens without medical insurance. And for those of us with insurance, many companies are beginning to cover overseas medical care. I am insured with Blue Cross Regence. My visit with the gastroenterologist was covered in full as a reimbursement.

If you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend the Fast Company article. And if you have received medical care in other parts of the world, I would love to hear about your experiences.