Sick On Holiday: Bangkok's BNH Hospital

Overall I can't think of many things less fair in life than being sick on your vacation/holiday. All year 'round you show up to wherever it is you do your own personal impression of Sisyphus, pushing your rock up the hill day after day in exchange for a precious few weeks of rest time, and then you're unable to enjoy it. Where's the fairness in that?

<-- Sisyphus, by Titian - 1549 (Prado Museum, Madrid)

One trip I heard a single man in the room next to mine who was so "actively" nauseous that he woke me up three times one night. The third time I felt so sorry for him that I dressed and went over Silom Road to the 7-eleven and bought some saltine crackers, water and 7-Up and took it to his door. As I expected, he looked like Death warmed over when he answered, but he accepted my gift for later and thanked me for the thought.

Having minor stomach and intestinal distress is to be expected when you travel; if you don't accept that possibility and take some basic precautions you're living in a fool's paradise - but there are some precautions you can take to avoid needless risks. I've shared some lessons I've learned about staying healthy on planes and in Thailand in earlier posts, and I can't say enough about the common sense of proper sleep and drinking enough water. Past that, you're at the mercy of Fate itself.

I've experienced sinus problems and what I self-diagnosed as colds in the past; usually blaming them on viruses in the recycled air on the planes, bacteria from the seldom serviced filtration of hotel air conditioning systems or the way I'll go hot and sweating into a refrigerated room somewhere. There's really no way to be sure about any of those theories, though.

Last Spring (2009) I made another journey up into Isaan with a friend who runs a guide service, and as we began our trip I felt as though I was starting in with some definite sinus problems. It escalated during our week on the road, and by the time I returned to Bangkok I was ready to concede defeat and seek help for the first time in Thailand. Having read about BNH Hospital and having it again recommended by an ex-patriot friend I headed there the next morning after breakfast.

BNH Hospital - as the sign on Convent Road reads - was started in 1898 as the Bangkok Nursing Home, not far from its present location. They began receiving patients at the current location in 1902, and after renovations turned it into a world-class medical facility it became BNH Hospital shortly after its re-birth in 1996.

It's located on Soi Convent, between Silom and Sathorn Roads. For those of you who might go on foot as I did, take the BTS to Saladaeng and ask the ticket booth folks which way to exit the station for "BNH Hospital" - they'll know it's on the Silom Complex side of Silom Road. BNH is on the left, almost to Sathorn Road, past the Saint Joseph convent.

I walked into the bright, spacious lobby area and up to the receptionist who politely directed me to a registration counter, where I was immediately greeted by a woman who took my passport, entered my basic information into their computer system and asked why I'd come in for treatment. As I briefly explained my plight she handed me my freshly-generated hospital ID card and directed me to a different receptionist on a higher floor. I went up the escalator and to that counter, where a nurse swiped my card through a reader and asked me to have a seat on a padded vinyl bench nearby.

Less than five minutes later, another nurse came to collect me and take me to a small room where she took my temperature, pulse and blood pressure and entered those numbers into the system. She then walked me back to where she'd found me, and said a doctor would see me in about ten minutes. I sat there somewhat dumbfounded by the efficiency of the place - and how amazingly clean it all looked.

While trying to flush my system I'd been drinking far more water than usual, and now it was time to find the hong nam. I asked the first employee passing by and was directed to one nearby. It, too, was spotless and equipped with stylish Western fixtures and sinks. Walking to it I noticed an outdoor garden that I stepped out to take a quick three pictures of on my way back, joined together into the panorama shot below. My guess is this garden is above the lobby area.

I'd no sooner sat down again than a different nurse came to collect me, this time ushering me into a female doctor's office, where she (the nurse) remained standing off to one side - in the interest of propriety, I assumed.

The doctor asked me a number of questions in perfect English, looked at my readings and shook her head apologetically. "I'm sorry to tell you that it looks like you've fallen victim to our somewhat unfortunate Bangkok air," she said. "My guess is that you've had some cold or sinus problems that haven't been helped at all by the particulate matter here." She prescribed a decongestant and a rather potent cough medicine to use at night so I could sleep, wished me better health and stood to see me leave, walking behind my nurse guide.

My guide took me back to my bench and asked me to listen for my name to be called from the pharmacy window nearby. Again less than 10 minutes passed before I heard my name and went to collect my medicines, packaged neatly into a small glossy BNH handle bag. The woman pointed to the cashier's window, where I paid for my prescriptions and was then free to go.

OK. Here's the part that's going to sound like a fairy tale, but I swear it's the truth: total time from walking in to walking out - under 45 minutes. Total cost: $60US. If that isn't an indication that the health care system in the USA is broken, I don't know what is.

All this, and the nifty card as a souvenir. If I'm ever sick there again, I'll know where to go.

BNH Hospital
9/1, Convent Road, Silom Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Tel : (+662) 686-2700
Fax : (+662) 632-0577-79
Website : http://www.BNHhospital.com
GPS Location : 13.724961, 100.5351