Private medical care in Thailand is very expensive.  If a traveller has medical insurance, they should normally be admitted to a private hospital wherever possible.  If someone is not insured, private hospitals will usually insist on a large cash deposit being made (approximately THB 200,000) before they will begin any medical treatment.  Almost all of the private hospitals in Thailand have an International Department where (often expatriate) English-speaking staff will liase with the patient and their relatives.  Some major private hospitals in the central Bangkok area are:

Bumrungrad Hospital, 33 Soi Nana Nua, Sukhumvit, Tel +66 (0) 2 667 1000
Bangkok Nursing Home, 9 Convent Road ,Tel +66 (0) 2 632 0550
Samitivej Hospital, 133 Soi Klang, Soi Sukhumvit 49, Tel +66 (0) 2 711 8000

All of these hospitals can send an ambulance in an emergency.

Travellers with no insurance, or with limited funds, have no choice but to be admitted to a Government Hospital.  Treatment in an emergency is free of charge, with the exception of medicine, medical supplies and laboratory costs – which can all still be expensive.

Conditions in Government hospitals are usually crowded, and the majority of the staff (and in particular the nursing staff) speak little or no English.  Nursing care is limited, and the patient’s day to day needs (feeding, bathing etc) are usually carried out by friends or family.

Some major Government hospitals in central Bangkok are:

Police Hospital, Corner Rajadamri and Rama I Road, Tel +66 (0) 2 252 8099
Chulalongkorn Hospital, Rama IV Road, Tel +66 (0) 2 251 8932

To request an ambulance from a Government hospital in an emergency dial 191 (Thai language only).  This is the general police emergency number.

The British Embassy maintains a comprehensive list of private and Government hospitals throughout Thailand.  The British Embassy is unable to give medical advice, or advise on the quality of doctors in Thailand.