I do think there is some confusion being spread by a certain member. I have used both the Government Hospital and the Ruamphet private hospital. Many of the doctors that work in the Government hospital also work in Ruamphet. My wife's pregnancy was managed by Ruamphet from early pregnancy through birth and then the follow on aftercare. On both occasions, she gave birth by C-section. Both my wife and I have nothing but the highest praise for the standard of professionalism throughout. I have had 2 operations in the General hospital, one for cancer and the other for a double hernia. Once again, the standard of professionalism by the doctors was very good. At that time, my first operation was indeed much cheaper than it would have been at Ruamphet. A couple of years later, about 4 years ago, the pricing structure for Farangs had indeed changed and was nearly double or more than what it was previously. For example, the cost of a private room the first time around was about 1,000 baht/night. Some 2 years later this had risen to 3,000 baht/night. I elected to use the general ward at around 1,000 baht/night.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, you may say, I have no recent price comparisons between the 2 hospitals. However, I am prepared to accept the doctor's comments to
@lightfoot that Ruamphet would be cheaper than the Government hospital. The Government hospital now inflates all charges for Farang patients. So much so that I have returned to Ruamphet for all my recent treatments. Apart from anything else, Ruamphet is so much friendlier and less crowded than the Government hospital, especially if you avoid weekends. The nurses and admin staff are very polite and efficient at arranging patient care. 10 days ago, I did need to see a cardiologist for a consultation. I was seen very quickly and a follow-up appointment was arranged for the following week (after blood tests). I saw the vampires a week later, who took blood for the tests (various) and arrived for the appointment with 2 specialists a day later (last Sunday). The nurse at the admin station booked me in and gave me directions on where to go for the first appointment. I did have to wait my turn before seeing the specialist, about 15 minutes. I was then told where to go for the second appointment with the cardiologist. I was ushered straight into his office for a detailed consultation. He asked if I would like an ECHO cardiogram to which I said yes. Please come this way into his next room for the ECHO. After the cardiogram, I returned to his surgery for a full debrief. In short, my heart is perfectly sound and should be good for the next 30 or 40 years.
In conclusion, for ease of treatment, express service, and minimum waiting time, Ruamphet beats the Government hospital hands down. In comparison, the Government hospital is very crowded, take a ticket, and try to find a seat to sit down and wait, often in excess of an hour or longer. On occasions, I took my ticket and saw the queue, and left to come back a couple of hours later. Moreover, parking at Ruamphet is right next door to the hospital in one of 3 car parks, unlike the parking lot for the Government hospital which is almost 1/2 a mile's walk from the hospital. Finally, Ruamphet is a much nicer experience overall than the Government hospital. Given that the pricing at the Government hospital now charges Farangs much more than they once did, I would certainly not hesitate to use Ruamphet for future major surgery.
P.S. For minor surgery, there are doctors in town with private surgeries (with operating rooms) who can carry out surgery at a fraction of the cost of either Ruanphet or the Government hospital. These doctors actually work in the hospitals on a full-time basis and open their private surgeries after hours. It was one of these practices that recommended I see the cardiologist that I did.
