Dear Sir,
I’m posting you this in the hope it will help any of your readers who have to have medical treatment whilst on Koh Samet.
I gashed my leg open when swimming by a pier at Ao Lung Dam and had to have 11 stitches at the government clinic in the town. She (the lady doctor) wanted to charge me 500B per stitch (5,500B). My wife confronted the doctor and threatened to inform the government that she was grossly overcharging because I am a falang. (This) got the price down to 3000B which is still far too high.
Being a government clinic the price should be the same for foreigners as it is for Thais; i.e., a nominal charge or free if you have no money.
When, a week later, I had my stitches removed at our local private hospital, here in Chonburi, my wife told our doctor about the price hike on Samet. He was (shocked) and gave my wife a contact number of a medical office to complain, as it’s blatant extortion and corruption. Even in a private hospital the price per stitch is only about 200B.
The telephone no. is 038 967416.
Fight corruption.
Yours,
Del
