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Bangkok Travel Clinic

Today, I was on a mission, to get travel vaccinations for Thailand and Southeast Asia. I wrote about getting vaccinations for Thailand in a previous post which can be found, here.

In summary, the vaccinations that I got today cost $60 in U.S. Currency. The same vaccinations in the U.S. that I needed were going to cost $650. I am glad that I waited and got them here!

The cost break-down in the U.S. is as follows:

$110- Office Visit

$65: Typhoid- Needle Vaccination (1 Shot)

$237- Japanese Encephalitis-Needle Vaccination (2 Shots) (Price is PER shot.)

The Cost of what I actually paid (In Thai Baht):

Vaccines: $1575BHT or $52.50 U.S.

Hospital Service Fee: $50BHT or $1.66 U.S.

Doctor Fee: $100BHT or $3.33 U.S.

New Registration Fee: $20BHT or $.66 U.S.

Injection Fee: $60BHT or $2 U.S.

Total: $1805BHT or $60.66 U.S.

The clinics cost break-down is as follows:

Originally, I had planned to get the rabies vaccination today but changed my mind as you have to get three shots in a row which are time sensitive, roughly one week apart. I am still planning my trip and therefore I am going to wait until my plan is more stable.

There is a private hospital about a 5min walk from the hostel in which I am staying. It is called the St. Louis Hospital. I proceeded to go to the hospital without an appointment and see if I could get the vaccinations right away. I talk to a receptionist in broken english and determine that I need to go to a different hospital on the other side of town. She hands me a piece of paper that has directions. It instructs me to get on the BTS which is a public rail service that inner-connects the city.

I walk several blocks and get on the rail-line. I need to take it to the National Monument which is the name of a rail station. It requires me to transfer to another train car but is relatively intuitive. After arriving to the station, I get out and walk for 15 min to Asia’s Center of Excellence for Tropical Diseases.

I did not have an appointment so I was not sure if I would be able to get service. I walk into the nice air conditioned building and walk up to a service representative. I fill out a simple health form and go to the travel clinic which is on the third floor of the building. I arrive, fill out some more paperwork and have to wait 45min for the doctor. No problem! That is much better than having to return at a different time. After patiently waiting and talking with the doctor, he suggests that I get Typhoid, Tetanus, and Japanese Encephalitis. I agree and inform the nurse that I usually faint when given shots. Fortunately, I did not pass-out….

I asked if there were any side-effects and the nurse replied that, “You may have a small fever for 24 hours and a sore arm.” Sweet! I think to myself, not only to I get to stay hot in 90 degree heat but I also get to have a fever… Awesome. But! It is better than getting the disease!

After getting the shots, I wait a few minutes and walk back to the BTS to get back to the hostel.

Mission success!

 

Nathan Vandermost

Nathan currently lives abroad as an American expat and is based in Hanoi, Vietnam. He enjoys learning new languages, meeting new people and exploring new places. Nathan has been living abroad since 2014 and likes to stay busy plotting his next trip.

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