A clinic for Bangkok's poor, ailing masses -- backpackers included
Deadly dog bites, STDs and pregnancy scares. One kind-hearted man's clinic near Khao San Road deals with it all, and for free
Surat Vongchangsilp, who opened his free health clinic in 2008, says that about 40 percent of his patients are foreigners, 60 percent Thai.
The nurses, unfazed, spring to action and quickly jab him with 17 rabies vaccinations -- for free.
At an average Bangkok hospital, a treatment like this would cost the patient 8,500 baht. But Surat Clinic, opened by area businessman Surat Vongchangsilp in 2008 to assist Thailand’s poor, isn’t trying to make money.
What’s even more unusual is that his clinic treats foreigners for free too.
“We don’t discriminate here,” he explains, saying that most of the foreigners who come in to his clinic need treatment for severe sunburns, high blood pressure, seafood allergies and sexually transmitted diseases. The clinic also provides pregnancy testing and contraceptives, all for free.
“The foreign patients tend to be European and Israeli."
Surat isn't a doctor. He employs seven fully qualified English-speaking doctors at his medical clinic, licensed by the Thai Ministry of Public Health, who receive the same salary they would earn working at a hospital.
The doctors are under strict orders by Surat to treat everyone equally, regardless of their position in society or the color of their skin. The clinic cannot treat severe injuries or illnesses; these cases are sent to the hospital.
But Surat Clinic can provide some very critical health care, including things like free rabies vaccinations, insulin injections and testing for diabetes. It can also act as a first stop for someone experiencing heart problems to assess the seriousness of the condition.
Surat says most of the foreigners who have been coming in lately have heard about his clinic through word of mouth as he doesn't advertise his services.
Indeed when strolling down Soi Rambuttri, where the clinic is located just around the corner from backpacker haunt Khao San Road, chances are most wouldn't even glance twice at its small sign written in Thai and English, mixed in with the busy street's flashy hotel and bar signs.
On the second floor of a small building, it's directly across from the Viengtai Hotel and only open for a limited number of hours.
Surat says he doesn’t want the free clinic expanding beyond his means so he keeps it open during what would normally be peak hours: 5-9 p.m. on weekdays, to accommodate those just getting off work (the clinic is closed on Wednesday), and 9-1 p.m. on Saturday, to accommodate those with diabetes and hypertension who have to fast before their tests.
Among his various business interests Surat owns two large buildings on Rambuttri that he leases out to shop owners, so he isn't at the clinic all the time. He say he drops in when he's in the area and leaves things up to his qualified staff.
There are about 20 chairs in the waiting area, and Surat says they've yet to see every one of them occupied at once. On an average day, they get about 40 patients. He operates the clinic on a first-come, first-serve basis, and "at the end of the day, everyone gets treated."
Surat Clinic, 96 Rambuttri Road. Tel: +66 (0)2 282 5541
