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Seeing a doctor in Bali while on our holiday wasn’t at the top of our “must do” list but sometimes plans change.
The day after we arrived in Bali, I started coughing along with aches and pains, headaches etc . Just a bit of a cold I thought. 2 days later and I was having trouble breathing, couldn’t lie flat without going into a massive coughing fit. I was rapidly going downhill, so the decision was made to seek some medical assistance.
Which Doctor Or Hospital To See? Once we made the decision to see a doctor, we needed to understand what, how, where etc. This is where the manager of our accommodation became invaluable.
The incredible Dina explained about the local doctors or GP’s in 24/7 clinics on almost every block in the tourist areas like Seminyak where we were staying.
Dina advised that to get the best quality care, we should head straight to one of the major private hospitals. There are many public hospitals but they are more geared towards treating the locals and communicating in English would likely be more of an issue.
The closest private hospitals to us were
BIMC
Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai No.100X, Kuta, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361
Website – here
Siloam
Jl. Sunset Road No.818, Kuta, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361
Website – here
Following Dinas’ advice we decided to head to Siloam Hospital in Sunset Rd Kuta, approximately 4 klm’s from where we wer staying and 60,000 IDR in a Bluebird Taxi.
Arriving At Siloam Hospital Our taxi comes to a stop and a doorman opens the taxi door and directs us to the main entrance.
Signage is a little bit limited but on the right hand side of the foyer is a reception desk. We stop there, explaining we want to see a Doctor and we will be paying for it ourselves.
While there is a 24/7 emergency facility, we are directed up a set of escalators to the Executive Suite. We are still trying to understand the reason for this, but the best we can get is, this is where paying people, tourists and wealthy locals, get seen. People relying on the local helath insurance go through the emergency.
Thats what we think , but this is definitely something that is TBC.
First Impressions of Siloam Hospital Walking into the Siloam Hospital is like walking into a 4 or 5 star hotel foyer. It’s very new, bright, modern and comfortable. The airconditioning is blasting providing some welcome relief from the Bali heat and humidity.
Very impressive.
The staff so far all speak and understand English very well, but there is some minor issues with some stronger accents that take a bit more time and focus to communicate with.
Registering At The Executive Suite Simple. Easy. Quick. Efficient. There really isn’t much more to say. The standard of English was quite good. I explained I wanted to see a Doctor. They asked for my passport and told me to take a seat while they registered me.
3 or 4 minutes later, I am given my passport back and a slip of paper with my patient number for my visit. I am then directed to the nurses station where again I am asked to take a seat. Within a couple of minutes a nurse takes my blood pressure, oxygen levels, temperature etc.
We are then directed to take a seat and wait for my number to be called to see the doctor.
Seeing The Doctor It was only about 10 minutes until our number was called, directing us to room 215.
A Doctor was waiting, so we sat down and had the usual doctor patient conversation. She had a good listen to my chest, said I was wheezy and needed a chest xray. No surprises so far.
The doctor wrote on my slip of paper with my number on it and directed us to the cashier. She said to pay for the doctor consultation and the xray. Go back tot he ground floor ro have the xray and then come back up to the Executive Suite and let the nurses know I was back and needed to see the doctor for review.
Paying The Bill – Part 1 of 3 OK. So far, so good. Very quick and efficient, BUT, how much was this going to cost?
We go to the cashier, give her our patient number and she asks us to take a seat while she prepares the bill. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous wondering how much this was going to cost, but I shouldn’t have been.
Doctor Consultation 160,000 IDR – $15.50 AUD or $10.60 USD
Chest Xray 653,000 IDR – $63.00 AUD or $43.50 USD.
INCREDIBLE! So far so good and it’s off to Xray.
Xray/Radiology After the very plush and comfortable fit out in the Executive Suite, the waiting area in Xray is much more what I had expected. Bench seating in old split vinyl. But still clean and tidy. This was the longest all day at around 20 minutes.
The Xray room was very barren and basic and could of used a fresh coat of paint but the staff spoke great English and seemed very competent. “Stand here, shoulders forward, breath in and hold………… Ok breath normal. Thank you.
Go back upstairs to your doctor. Your report will be there in 13 minutes for review.
13 minutes. That’s unusual. Such a precise number. Not rounded up or down like we tend to do. No, 13 minutes and your report will be ready for review.
2nd Doctor Visit & Xray Review Back upstairs, let the nurse know we’re back and wait to see the Doctor.
A few minutes latter we are again called into room 215 to see the Doctor. Chest isn’t too bad but need some antibiotics and something else to break up the mucus.
The chest x ray also showed my enlarged heart and asscoiated issues. The doctor wants me to see a cardiologist tomorrow, and because I’m not feeling well, we agree to come back to see the Cardiologist.
It’s now back to the cashier to pay for the prescriptions before we can pick them up.
Paying For The Medication – Part 2 of 3 So we are back at the cashier to pay for 2 medications. This was a shock but after investigating, we can advise to NOT get the medications at the hospital. It is much cheaper to take the prescriptions from the doctor and go to the local Apotek/chemist/drug store.
My prescriptions were for 30 of one pill and 10 of another and the total was 212,288 IDR or $20.50 AUD or $14.00 USD. Still cheap by our standards but would of been much cheaper at the local Apotek.
Day 1 / Visit 1 Seeing A Doctor In Bali Summary From getting out of the Bluebird taxi, to getting back into one, the whole process took 1 hour and 20 minutes which is absolutely incredible based on Australian standards.
To show up with no appointment, see a Doctor, get a X ray, get prescriptions completed, pay for the whole experience and on our way in 80 minutes was amazing.
Back to our accomodation at the inviting Bali Ginger Suites and Villa in Seminyak to rest for the day, before heading back tomorrow to see the Cardiologist.
Day 2 – Cardiologist Appointment Our appointment is at 12.30pm so it’s into a Bluebird taxi about 11.45am, making sure we arrive with some time to spare.
Same as yesterday, the doorman helps us out of the taxi and we head up the escalator to the Executive Suite.
This time when we check in, we are directed to the specialist consulting area, a bit further into the building on the same floor.
The decor is the same. Very light and airy with great air conditioning and very comfortable well spaced out seating.
After check in, the nurse again takes blood pressure etc and comments that my blood pressure is up and is it normal? I let her know it isn’t normally that high which she notes.
After a 15 minute wait, we are called into room 235 to see the cardiologist. This is just like any appointment with a new specialist back at home.
Lots of questions about my medical history. Luckily I came prepared with all my records just in case they were needed. Some chat back and forth and a review of yesterdays chest Xray and we are done.
A pescription for the high blood pressure but thats it’s. Another easy, quick but comprehensive review. I have no issues with the quality of care at all – fantastic!
Backto the cashier again.
Paying For Cardiologist & More Medication This one hurts the most. 600,000 IDR for the Cardiologist – $58 AUD or $40 USD plus 665,615 IDR for 1 months blood pressure medication – $64 AUD or $44 USD for a total of $1,416,000 IDR – $122 AUD or $84 USD for a specialist appointment and 1 months medications.
Really can’t complain about that.
Day 2 Summary In and out in an hour. A comprehensive review with the cardiologist, some more medication to help control the bllod pressure and we are in our Bluebird taxi on our way back to our accomodation.
Total Cost Of Seeing A Doctor In Bali Over 2 days, I saw a GP and a specialist. I had a chest Xray and received 3 new prescriptions for a total cost of
2,523,000 IDR $242.50 AUD $167.00 USD The standard of acre, the facilities, the speed and general ease of the whole process makes me very comfortable that medical care in Bali is both affordable and of a high standard.
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