Healthcare in Chiang Mai

Emergencies

Call 1669 for an ambulance anywhere in the province; the line is part of the national emergency medical system coordinated by the National Institute for Emergency Medicine. The Tourist Police on 1155 work around the clock and can help with interpretation, and 191 reaches the police. Give a precise location — a landmark, a soi number or a map pin — as addresses can be hard to describe outside the city centre.

Private hospitals also run their own emergency services. Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai says its Trauma and Emergency Center is open 24 hours with ambulances on standby, and Chiangmai Ram says it sends ambulances with emergency doctors and nurses to collect patients in Chiang Mai and other provinces at any hour.

Getting to hospital, including from outlying areas

Within the city, most hospitals are within a short drive of the old city, although the moat roads and the ring roads can be congested at rush hour. Outside the city, distances grow quickly: popular areas such as Mae Rim, Doi Inthanon, Chiang Dao and the road to Pai involve winding mountain roads, and a transfer from a district hospital to Chiang Mai can take several hours. Public district hospitals provide first-line emergency care and stabilise patients before transfer.

Road injuries are a major cause of emergency admissions across Thailand. The World Health Organization reports that motorcyclists accounted for most of the country's road deaths in 2021, so take care if you rent a scooter, and check whether your insurance covers riding one.

Language and international patient services

The larger private hospitals publish international services. Chiangmai Ram lists an International Patient Service Center and interpreters for seven languages, including German, French, Chinese, Japanese, Burmese and Korean. Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai lists case coordinators who speak English, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Burmese and French, and an international insurance team. In public hospitals, English varies by department, so bring a Thai speaker or ask about interpreters when you register.

Costs and insurance

Private hospital fees in Chiang Mai are generally lower than at the leading Bangkok hospitals but well above public hospital fees. As elsewhere in Thailand, hospitals ask for a guarantee of payment before treatment, so keep your insurer's assistance number with you. Long-stay residents should check whether a policy covers pre-existing conditions, outpatient care and treatment in Thailand at all, and ask the hospital whether it bills that insurer directly.

Pharmacies, minor care and seasonal air quality

Pharmacies are easy to find in the city and in district towns, and hospital outpatient departments and private clinics handle minor illness and injury. The UK government warns against buying medicines sold on the street, which may be counterfeit.

Air quality in northern Thailand often worsens during the dry season, roughly from late winter into spring, when smoke from fires and agricultural burning builds up. People with asthma, heart or lung conditions should plan for this, check current readings from Thailand's Pollution Control Department and talk to their doctor about medication before travelling.