Having never been in a Thai hospital before, we had no idea what to expect. We exited our red bus, being extra careful not to touch the 2 monks that shared our bus (as is proper etiquette for women), and walked up to the front door to Chiang Mai Ram hospital. We were greeted by a doorman who opened the door for us much like at a fancy hotel and a woman who greeted us in the traditional Thai way.
Once inside we could see the “waiting room” which really looked more like a lobby:
The main departments were like spokes on a wheel, or like a multi-terminal airport. Depending on what you came there for, you would just go to that wing. Nicely organized.
We were pointed in the direction of “new patient registration” where Ligeia was asked to give her passport and to fill out a simple form. Within minutes she was directed to “Home Care” on the 4th floor, where she was immediately escorted to “room 3”. A nurse took her blood just before telling her to go to “room 10”. Concerned that we hadn’t seen Ligeia’s passport in awhile, we asked and were told it is already in room 10. And it was! Ligeia’s height and weight and blood pressure were recorded and then she saw the doctor who asked her a couple questions and listened to her heart. She was handed her passport and told to go to the “cashier” where she paid 202 Baht, a whopping $7.50! The whole thing from beginning to end took 20 minutes. Talk about efficient – oh and did we mention that everyone was friendly and smiling?
The best part was that the results would be ready in less than 2 hours. So we went shopping just around the corner and came back 20 minutes early and the blood had already been tested and the certificate was already printed and ready for us to pick up! AND they gladly made 2 copies of it upon our request. WOW! What service! It’s nice to know that if there ever is an emergency we feel confident that we will be well taken care of.
Lots of love,
Mindy and Ligeia :):)
Anonymous
Good to know – nice to see!
Great not to have to stay!
Love from Oma:-)