Interview: Bumrungrad Hospital

Roland Hohmann, Marketing Manager, answered our questions to introduce you to one of the best hospitals in Asia: the Bumrungrad Hospital. Located in the center of Bangkok, this hospital has become a reference in medicine, world-renowned.

Can you introduce us to Bumrungrad Hospital?

Bumrungrad Hospital was built in 1980 by the founders of Bangkok Bank. Another building was built in 1998 and became the current hospital with 580 beds, then, in 2009, we opened the clinic. Thus, our hospital is the combination of one clinic and one hospital at a time. The initial idea was to create a hospital that serves the community through the best doctors.

Most Thai doctors are numerous to have studied or practised abroad. The idea was to ensure that Thailand keeps its bright minds thanks to a centre of modern high technology equipment.

How many services do you have?

We have 27 specialized centres and 52 sub-specialities, such as pediatric cardiac in the pediatric centre, for example. We also have 5 Intensive Care Units (ISUs), one of which is Level 3 prenatal (the most advanced in the region), 19 operating rooms and a fully automated laboratory.

Are you specialized in a specific field?

Not really, but we cover almost everything. We found a lot on cardiology, neurology, oncology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, gastrointestinal and obstetricology. We have also been accredited by JCI (Joint Commission International) specifically for these specialities: cardiology and stroke; chronic kidney disease and diabetes mellitus.

How many doctors do you have?

We have 1,300 doctors, they are not all here full time because many are professors. 300 of them have graduated in the United States and others have practised in the United Kingdom, Germany or Australia …

We also have 1,000 nurses.

How many patients do you receive each year?

By combining inpatients and outpatients, we receive 1.1 million patients a year. 55% of them are Thai and the remaining 45% are international.

What is the profile of your patients? Local, expatriates or tourists?

We receive 35% of international tourists, mostly from the Middle East and the United States. 10% mainly Europeans, Australian and Japanese patients. We have noticed that foreigners consult us mainly for tertiary care while the locals come first for primary care (paediatrics, obstetrics, gynaecology and general medicine). It is common for expatriates to use two hospitals: one in their neighbourhood and Bumrungrad for serious cases.

Do you have a program for seniors?

Despite the difficulty of developing this in Thailand, we created The New Life Healthy Aging Clinic 2 years ago. We have doctors specializing in the dielectric care and offer check-up packages for over 55 years old.

Have you won any prizes?

Since 1999, we are rewarded every 3 years by the Thai Hospital Accreditation. We are evaluated on the quality of the doctors, the administration but also on the surface technicians, the security etc…

We are also the first hospital in Asia to receive a JCI award in 2002. This is consistent with the highest hospital standards in the United States and internationally.

But also:

• Thailand Quality Class Award (2005)
• Trusted Brands Award 2012 (Readers Digest)
• International Hospital of the Year 2015 by IMTJ
• AmCham Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Recognition Award for Rak Thai program

Interview conducted by Amelie, Olivia Harang and Eleonore Bon