Born in Bangkok
Wangmo and her husband with their elder son at the Phyathai hospital in BangkokMore and more Bhutanese mothers, who have the means, are opting to deliver abroad
Wangmo is worried, anxious and obsessed. She is two months due to deliver her baby. But this mental syndrome has been allayed to an extent, with her husband deciding she deliver in Bangkok, instead of a hospital in Bhutan.
“I’m not very comfortable with the medical facilities at home,” she said. “I’m not saying it’s bad, the doctors are well-trained, but you never know if you have complications.”
“Deliveries can happen any time, and what if doctors aren’t around, which sometime happens,” she said. Incidence of jaundice after birth is also fairly common in Bhutan.
In Bhutan, where health care is free and institutional delivery is still being encouraged as an option against home delivery, there are no personalised doctors to attend to a single patient’s beck and call.
Mothers have to share rooms in hospital, unless they choose to pay for cabins, and make do with basic medical infrastructure and limited health staff. As of last November, the country had 10 gynaecologists in the country, including three non-Bhutanese. About 12,000 babies are delivered annually in hospitals across the country.
As against this, hospitals in Bangkok boast of offering a wide range of delivery options, including normal, with epidural, (a pain relieving injection), which makes delivery almost painless, water birth and c-section. “In Bhutan, we’re unable to offer painless labour option due to shortage of staff, not because we don’t have money,” gynaecologist Dr Ugyen Tshomo said in an earlier interview with Kuensel. “We don’t know why women go to Bangkok for delivery, but most do seem to get caesarean section in the end.”
In Bangkok, mothers are provided a single room and constant nursing for the baby, besides advice on proper food and health habits, before and after delivery.
These facilities are attracting Bhutanese mothers, who have the means to deliver in Bangkok, which is growing as a destination for medical tourism as well.
A senior international marketing manager with Phyathai hospital, Norachan Malakul, said the hospital saw 26 Bhutanese women last year deliver in the hospital. Phyathai is the most popular delivery hospital for Bhutanese and, since 2003, around 600 Bhutanese babies have been born there.
At the Phyathai hospital, there were no long queues in the huge lobby that had smiling ladies at the assistance counters and several places to eat.
“Hospitals in Bangkok are becoming increasingly popular, not just for Bhutanese, but for several other countries,” Norachan Malakul said. “We cater to international patients, and we have spokesperson and interpreters for many countries, including Bhutan, the Middle East, and all the South Asian neighbouring countries.”
Sonam Phuntsho is an international relations officer, who had worked in the hospital for the past seven years. He said he came to Bangkok to study but, most times, he assisted Bhutanese visiting Bangkok for medical treatment. “I can speak Thai pretty well, and I cater not only to Bhutanese but all international patients,” Sonam Phuntsho said. “The hospital then offered me a job.”
Many Bhutanese prefer Phyathai hospital, because it has a Bhutanese staff.
Wangmo and Tobden, a Bhutanese couple, who were in the hospital last week, said they chose Phyathai because it was easier with a Bhutanese staff around.
Both holding hands with their three-year old toddler, born in Bangkok, the couple said they chose Bangkok because doctors are readily available, and the safety of the child and mother is ensured.
The couple had spent around 72,000 baht for delivery, 30,000 baht for living expenses and another 50,000 baht for travel.
The fee for delivery ranges from 45,900 to 73,000 baht, depending on whether it is normal, with epidural or a C-section.
“It was amazing, my whole body opened up and it was almost painless,” Dechen, another mother, who delivered her baby in Bangkok, said. “After delivery, I went to the United States and got pregnant again, but I again chose to deliver in Bangkok, although medical facilities are much better in the US.”
Phyathai hospital
Bangkok, she said was like a hub, anyone could go in and out any time and, since it was closer to Bhutan, it was possible to have family around.
She spent USD 5,000 (around 150,000 baht) for a delivery, including travel expenses.
Most mothers visit Bangkok before two weeks of delivery and leave after a week.
Bhutanese also visit hospitals in Bangkok for complaints like stomach ulcers, cancer, hair transplant, gallstone surgery, sore throat, red eye and backache.
The more affluent visit hospitals like Bumrungrad and Samevitej, where they charge a relatively higher fee.
Karma, a corporate employee in Bhutan, said she took her grandfather to Bangkok to treat his severe backache because, no matter how many times he visited the hospital in Bhutan, the complications never stopped.
Yeshey, who is thinking of getting married this year, said, she has started saving money, so she could also deliver her baby in Bangkok.
“It’s very important to provide proper care and good facilities, because it influences a mother’s anxiety level,” a health expert with Phyathai hospital said. “If the anxiety level is influenced by poor care and attention, pain level during delivery could be very high and that’s where it becomes too risky both for the mother and the baby.”
Bhutan’s infant mortality rate is 40.1 per 1,000 live births, and maternal mortality rate is 146 per 100,000 live births, according to the government’s recent state of the nation report for 2012.
By Nidup Gyeltshen in Bangkok
I perceived that this article gives the opportunity for improvement. We now have an idea and now we can bench mark our capital hospital with Thai ones and similarly rest of our district hospitals across the country can be bench marked with the Thimphu Hospital. Ultimately, all of us can enjoy the best health services within as it is very critical. It is up to the individual whether to go Thailand, Siliguri, Kolkata, Mumbai or US for the treatment.
My dear Ap Gasep, yes I lived continuously in Thailand from January 1989 until September 2009. I think that is twenty years. My wife is Thai and my daughter is Thai. I sincerely hope that you are not suggesting I am a liar. I try my best to always tell the truth – as I see it.
I was making some simple observations based upon my own experiences in Thailand and in Bhutan. Of course, the Thai private system is very good for those that can afford it – I can not. I know of British people who prefer to forgo the government National Health Service for what is now called Medical Tourism to Thailand.
With respect to the story of the young girl then all I can relate is what my Thai journalist friend said. In Thailand she would not have been given the care and treatment that she was given in Bhutan. He and I were (and I am) defending the Bhutanese health system – even though it can and must still be improved.
Of course, it would be great if such operations could be done under the government system here. But when they can’t be, my Thai friend was highly impressed that even the daughter of a simple yak herder could be looked after by the Bhutanese Health System by sending her abroad for treatment. He, not I, said this would not happen in Thailand. He, not I, suggested that she would be left to die. the Hilltribe people of Thailand are still very marginalised.
Like you, I also hope that Bhutan’s Health System can be improved in the future. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, in the future, Thais were coming to Bhutan for medical care? That is a dream for the future – and not impossible.
In conclusion, what I found upsetting about the article was the author comparing a government health system with a private health system. Like must be compared with like and this was simply not done.
@NigelHJ…Did you actually live in Thailand for 20 yrs? Do you know what is 30 THB for all kinds of disease? Do you really know how the government hospitals and private hospitals in Thailand function? Do you really know how the hydrocephalus is being treated in Thailand?
This is not really a good place to provide suck kinds of false informations.
And it is very foolish of you to say that Bhutanese medical system is better than Thais because the Thai medical system is the 2nd best is South East Asia(1st being Singapore). Do you actually see the differences between what we have in Bhutan and what is there in Thailand?
Being a political science graduate and with master’s in policy making, I would appreciate the Bhutanese to try to bring up good suggestions for making a better health system. So that the people don’t have to seek for it from other nations. Try to build a better system by looking to other better nations. Don’t try to think that we have enough and it is everything because such things occur in poor countries with illiterate citizens.
In a further defense of Bhutan’s health services I feel I should relate this small story. Several years ago up in the mountains I stayed with a very poor yak-herding family. They had a 6 year old daughter who had been diagnosed at 18 months with hydrocephalus (water on the brain) by the doctors from the Basic Health Unit. She could not be treated in Bhutan but she and her parents were flown to India where she had a relatively simple operation that drains the water from her brain. Hydrocephalus children, if not treated, rarely live beyond 6/7 and die mentally retarded and usually blind and deaf. This little girl was a highly intelligent bundle of energy when I met her. When I told this story to a Thai journalist friend he said: Here a hill-tribe child would have been charged 30 Baht for some panadol and told to get on with it. Luckily, she was born in Bhutan.
As a foreigner who has lived in Thailand for 20 years and in Bhutan for three years I can only say that this article is grossly unfair to the Bhutanese health system and I am astounded that it was written by a Bhutanese. Like should be compared with like. This report is unfavourably comparing the free government medical system of a very small country (Bhutan) with the costly private facilities of Thailand. I have not made use of any private health care anywhere – I have never had the money for such. But I have used both the Thai (not really free) and the Bhutanese (free for all) government health facilities and would say the Bhutanese system is possibly better than the Thai! The author of this article should only consider writing such a piece when Bhutan has a private medical health service. Then comparisons could be made between Bhutan and Thailand.
Wai Nidup Gyeltshen! How can you claim that this article is written by you?(by Nidup Gyeltshen). It was there in one of the thai english edition newspaper a few weeks ago.( except the photo of phyathai hospital you added there). If you are a student there, I would advise you to take some classes on plagiarism. I think you really need it.
Please don’t forget to thank our government for free medical checkup and don’t look down to a health personals comparing to a developed countries. Our health personals are also trained as their health personals .
One should come with some smile after spending USD 5000 which is almost equal to Nu.3 lakhs otherwise what is the point going there. Just adding on the Rupee crisis and blaming the govt. without any hesitation. Most of the civil servant cannot save that amount in 10 to 15 years and forget about the farmers. People proudly say that facilities in Thailand is very good not realizing that good facilities with round the clock duty is available in our country without any charge. The reason to compare does not hold weight. But it is the mentality of our bhutanese that have 101 reasons to say about others and not realizing our own faults.
Anyways it is the clear indication of have’s and have not. It will only widen in years to come…..bless the haves and bear the pain of any crisis by the have not…..!!!
OMG! draining out hard currency hard earned by a small sector , when the economy is impoverished by rupee bottle neck……………keep smiling now by delivering babies in Thailand and cry later…..
Thailand is called the “Land of smile” – babies delivered in Thailand are born with a smile….believe it or not.
So if a person is willing to pay $5000, couldn’t our own hospital do it? Hire a doctor for S1000, buy the anesthetic drugs for another $1000 and rent a cabin for $100?
What is the specialty of babies delivered in Thailand?
Well if I share my experience at the JDWNRH, I gave birth to my son last yr march, n I am very happy with the facility we have there. I don’t know about Bangkok but back here in our own country also it’s not bad. Only one woman delivering in a cozy labour room with few people attending you. Of course we ve to share a room after delivery provided we don’t take a cabin but I found it more lively to see people around you with many new members coming into the world just near me. I was told that though there was no doctors attending us but in case of complications, they would be there and as long as there are other attendants around me, who have been doing that job for years, I felt safe. Those brothers and sisters keep checking us time and again to make sure everything is normal. So my dear readers, let’s not see what is there in the bigger countries, let’s treasure what we have and what our government is trying to do for us free of cost.
I respect the INDIVIDUAL’S RIGHTS. If one can afford they can have their deliveries done in Thailand or USA. I know that our country lack’s the facilities that they have and that the doctors in Bhutan are not so well trained like the ones in the mentioned nations. Afterall, it’s always safer to have one’s delivery in a better environment.
Is the planned delivery for the purpose of obtaining Thai Citizenship that I heard are granted to souls delivered there? Then God bless this GREAT NATION of the THAIS. The problem here is that the OPTION is availed only by the rich that reach out for dual nationality.
If the poorer Bhutanese could afford for trips and medical expenses, I suppose there would be big RUSH from the BHUTANESE struggling without STATE RECOGNITION due to the caution of our FAR SIGHTED VISIONARIES that see problems before they happen and curb them for our NATION’s SECURITY.
more than affordability it is the ego of bhutanese taking them to bangkok for delivery
unnecessary expenses.
why not in Bhutan we have better.
Incase of that better to donate to our country as well as people.
Think before u act.
I have no comments where people deliver their babies. It’s their choice. If they can afford then it’s up to them. However, I just wanted to point out the factual error in the story.
The article states that Wangmo is two months due to deliver her first baby. However, the caption for the image right next to the lead paragraph says Wangmo and her husband with their eldest son. So, apparently this is not her ‘first’ baby.
I have also noticed several typos almost all the time and all these undermines the quality of Bhutan’s oldest and leading newspaper.
its a bizarre article questioning the RGoB’s effort and the Ministry of Health’s creditability….
Rich people can do anything , but majority are poor. So we all Bhutanese are poor to go to Bangkok to deliver a baby. This type of news really do not bring happiness in the Bhutanese people .
a bullshit story, acting like a superficial agent trying to boost medical tourism to Bangkok for BHUTANESE millionares. My pathetic admiration to those RICHES who are affording such a luxury . KUDOOOS….
This type of news should not be Publish since it contain the negative impact messages to other people. People who can afford, can do watever they like but think of people who will not. The facilities at our referral hospitals are well equipped and trained. People have not rectify the false that Bangkok Hospital usually does. These thing should be personalized and can be done by urself. It is not compulsory that u get so many complication and delivery in our own hospitals are not as per the requirments mey. Rmeber u r living in G NH country and u should not back look the taste of it.
It deteriorates the patient pyschological and physiological variation and will get to use, will be demanding. Please people who have are living behind will get negative impact and weaken the patient physiological norms with this dirty news.
painless delivery? I don’t feel it is something which need to be spent so much hard currency when Bhutan is facing financial crisis. Giving birth is just a normal activity of women and I feel the bond of mother-child could be lower than born with labour pain. Giving birth with labour pain is a charm and challenge to be a mother.