Newt week I come to HH but where to go with heart problems?

[kanyarat]

Hi everybody,

This topic scares me a little bit. The things i have read about the HH hospital and the SP hospital dont give me a happy feeling.
We are arriving in HH on the 8th. of december, and stay there for about 2 month's. The planning is to stay in HH for about 6 month's a year in the near future.
The problem is that I did have an open heart surgery about a year ago, and when I am traveling to Thailand I always check out where to go in case of an emergency. But it seems to be a problem in HH!?
Is there someone who can give me some information about cardiology in or around HH? (just in case).
Greetings from a very cold Holland!
Regards, Martin.

[Norseman]

Hello kanyarat.
Under no circumstances I would choose SP or any Hospital in HH.
I've been there!!! Never again!!!
I have also been at a hospital in Phetchaburi, (not very far from BigC), and have the idea that those doctors are better suited to work as doctors as in HH.
Have no knowledge if they have any cardiovascular disease ward, but I think they have.
Can't remember the name of the hospital but some other on this board might help you with that.
Have a nice trip.

[duan]

Hi all,
I too have a heart problem which may require medical assistance sometime in the future and was planning on spending three separate three month periods each year in Hua Hin.
Having read all the threads on this section of your website the conscensus seems quite clear that my only option in the area is the hospital in Petchaburi but unfortunately I cannot activate the English option on their website.
Has any one got any up to date information on cardiovascular treatment at this hospital or a link to the English part of their website?
Will the new extension to the hospital opposite the King's Palace cater for cardio treatment?
Any advice would be greatfully received as I certainly do not fancy staying in Bangkok for such long periods.
Thanks in advance for your help.

[Nereus]

I am in a similar position with regard to access to a cardiovascular specialist. I visited Phetcharat Hospital in Phetburi about a year ago and at that time they did NOT have any facilities, or specialist.

The new government hospital that is (still) being constructed in Hua Hin reportedly includes an ICU heart unit. When and if this is ever completed it may be an option, but how they intend to attract suitable staff I do not know. The only "real" heart unit is in Bangkok, and again I have not been able to establish if there is even a suitable ambulance available in Hua Hin, that could be used for an emergency transfer.

A lot of people, (maybe justified) criticize Pattaya, but they do have excellent medical facilities there. I guess the size of the population in Hua Hin is not yet considered enough to attract one of the big private hospitals.

[Wanderlust]

I have had it on very good authority that a new hospital is going to open in Hua Hin within the next couple of years, which will be a branch of the Bangkok Hospital Medical Centre (http://www.bangkokhospital.com) and this is lent some credence because it comes from one of the doctors there, and they carry a full page advert in the Hua Hin Observer in conjunction with an article every month written by one of their doctors on 'Health Matters' (presumably to build awareness of their facilities).
Currently though what has been stated above is the case, so a trip to Bangkok would be necessary I think. Out of interest though, how different is that in most parts of the world, that you have to take a trip to a major city to find such facilities?

[richard]

The polyclinic for a starter for a good GP (Dr Saran) Any serious probs get an ambulance from the Bumrangrad hospital in Bangkok to get you there

Know if for sure, happened to me and a friend too

Life saver

[Big Boy]

kanyarat,

I've no personal experience (thankfully), but my son-in-law is an ambulance driver at San Paulo. He has told me on several occassions that if anybody goes to San Paulo with a serious heart problem, all they can do is make them comfortable. They always transfer such patients to a hospital in Bangkok.

[sessachief]

Hello all, I am very interested in this topic. I am researching a move to LOS, however whilst studying a Pattya forum, it seems medical insurance is unavailable after the age of 65.!
Whilst I am a long way off that, it seems a long settled life maybe a problem.
Insurance may cease if you have high blood pressure etc etc.
I do gather hospitals in Pattya are good, and they also have everything a farang might want.
Rents even look cheaper. Thus I am considering buying in Hua Hin and renting to live in Pattya .
Thoughts on the insurance issue would be very welcome

[Big Boy]

This is question I was going to ask soon, but it seems appropriate to this thread.

Somebody has told me that there is an expats club in Pattaya who work a co-operative scheme similar to the Beneden scheme I belong to in the UK - Google Beneden UK to see how that scheme works. In a nutshell, my wife had £5000 worth of private healthcare here in the UK last year, and all I pay is less than £5 per month for the whole family.

My question is has anybody on this forum heard anything about the medical scheme operated by the expats club in Pattaya? If they have, how genuine is it?

[Spitfire]

Hospitals not too great here, better off in Bangkok. If you have heart complications then listen to what your doctor said in your home country and don't get too exited or stressed and be prepared to go to Bangkok for anything serious.

[duan]

Many thanks for all the input. At present the results of all my various research show that I should get up to Bangkok as quickly as possible if I have a heart problem but if the problem is very serious and needs stabilising before making the trip to Bangkok by ambulance I should go immediately to the nearest provincial hospital as opposed to a district hospital.
Can someone please advise me of the nearest provincial hospital to central Hua Hin?
Thanks in advance.

[margaretcarnes]

In response to Wanderlust - yes, in most places it is probably necessary to travel quite a distance for cardio and many other specialist units. Difference in the West though is the standard of care onboard ambulances these days, with highly qualified paramedics and the necessary equipment to re-susc if needed during the trip.
There is also a move now, certainly in the UK, to locate rapid response ambulance teams on the outskirts of towns, as well as in the main ambulance stations. It is recognised that getting treatment within the first 30 or 40 minutes of an incident vastly increases the patients' chance of survival.
Forgive me for the doom and gloom, but this doesn't seem to bode well for anyone with a heart problem who needs to get from HH to Bangkok for urgent treatment!