Where should I go for a medical emergency/accident in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville?

[son of vladimir]

It's actually a very well-equipped facility, but that's not really the issue. It suffers from the same under-funding as every other facility.

The equipment is seldom the problem, the people using the equipment and the admin and after-care are the problem.

Sen Sok International or Royal Rattanak, far better choices.

[ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ]

It's actually a very well-equipped facility, but that's not really the issue. It suffers from the same under-funding as every other facility.

The equipment is seldom the problem, the people using the equipment and the admin and after-care are the problem.

Sen Sok International or Royal Rattanak, far better choices.

Royal Rattanak is a crappy choice. The care there is non existent.

It closed a couple of years ago. I think an IT firm use the building now. They wont be much use unless you have a problem with your floppy.

Royal Phnom Penh hospital on Russian Confederation Boulevard is perhaps a better choice.

[starkmonster]

I think a few things need to be said on this thread, because I think we create a lot of problems ourselves during medical emergencies here through our misconceptions.

Number one, if it's a true medical emergency, you aren't going to Bangkok, get that idea out of your head straight away.

Medivacs take days to organize, plus even if you did luck out and one was on the tarmac at Ponchentong, a medivac will not fly anyone in a critical condition, and they likely won't fly anyone who is stable but poses a risk of becoming critical.

I've been medivaced, it took 10 days from the time of the accident to arrive in Bangkok, and that was paying cash and only broken bones!

So accept the fact that the steps between the onset of the medical emergency and either stabilization or death are going to happen in Cambodia. So you want to make sure you have a plan in place and that the people around you know what that plan is.

Second, money talks. Forget public medicine, it doesn't exist here and you are at best only going to get the best medical treatment that you can afford, or the hospital thinks you can afford, nothing more.

Feel free to setup a trust fund for the financially challenged of Cambodia in medical emergencies once you've recovered.

Once you are in your first choice hospital, don't become an armchair medical expert and start challenging every move the doctor makes with snippets you found on WebMD. You wouldn't do that to a doctor at home, why do it here?

If you think something isn't right, take all the results to another hospital to consult with another doctor for a second opinion.

If the doctor says you need a CT scan, or some expensive blood work done, just do it. The diagnosis will likely only be as good as the diagnostics.

So many expats die here from conditions that would have been exposed by simple but expensive tests such as mri/ct scans or thorough blood work. And my personal experience is that expats are far more reluctant to agree to such expensive tests than doctors are to recommend them.

[ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ]

My friend was medevac’d to Bangkok within 10 hours of the accident - with fractured skull and brain haemorrhages. Flew at low altitude to attempt to minimise further damage. I was with them.
Insurance arranged everything.
Royal Rattanak stabilised her until medevac but insurance wouldn’t countenance further treatment in Cambodia.
I think Slavedogs post makes sense - but the medevac bit wasn’t quite right with my experience.

[starkmonster]

Your friend was very lucky. A medivac involves getting a lot of ducks lined up, insurance, hospital here, stabilization, plane, embassy, exit stamp, hospital there.

That's possible if the insurance company is playing ball, very hard if they aren't.

But even so, 10 hours is a very long time in a life threatening situation. So you need to have a plan in place about what you do before then.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ]

Your friend was very lucky. A medivac involves getting a lot of ducks lined up, insurance, hospital here, stabilization, plane, embassy, exit stamp, hospital there.

That's possible if the insurance company is playing ball, very hard if they aren't.

But even so, 10 hours is a very long time in a life threatening situation. So you need to have a plan in place about what you do before then.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Yeah you’re right. She was very fortunate.
I can’t imagine how it would happened if insurance wasn’t involved - but that’s why i have insurance.
The timeline for her was approx:
c.7am accident.
8am arrived at International SOS
9.30 transferred to Royal Rattanak
10.30 insurance rep met me at RR to take our passports
3.15ish left RR
6pm ish arrived in Bumrungrad
Very slick process.

Having quality insurance is the best advice you can get. Insurance company will decide best place for treatment inside or outside Cambodia.

[Miguelito]

Having quality insurance is the best advice you can get. Insurance company will decide best place for treatment inside or outside Cambodia.

We can debate about a lot of things, but not this - you’re spot on.

Also important when deciding on the insurance here is not only what the plan covers, but the on the ground support that comes with it. Your above story about the insurance rep meeting you is the point - if he hadn’t met you and help sort things out for you, things could have gone much differently.

[Tom Lung]

Your friend was very lucky. A medivac involves getting a lot of ducks lined up, insurance, hospital here, stabilization, plane, embassy, exit stamp, hospital there.

That's possible if the insurance company is playing ball, very hard if they aren't.

But even so, 10 hours is a very long time in a life threatening situation. So you need to have a plan in place about what you do before then.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Yeah you’re right. She was very fortunate.
I can’t imagine how it would happened if insurance wasn’t involved - but that’s why i have insurance.
The timeline for her was approx:
c.7am accident.
8am arrived at International SOS
9.30 transferred to Royal Rattanak
10.30 insurance rep met me at RR to take our passports
3.15ish left RR
6pm ish arrived in Bumrungrad
Very slick process.

Having quality insurance is the best advice you can get. Insurance company will decide best place for treatment inside or outside Cambodia.

Can i ask what insurance she had and with what provider?

[ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ]

Your friend was very lucky. A medivac involves getting a lot of ducks lined up, insurance, hospital here, stabilization, plane, embassy, exit stamp, hospital there.

That's possible if the insurance company is playing ball, very hard if they aren't.

But even so, 10 hours is a very long time in a life threatening situation. So you need to have a plan in place about what you do before then.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Yeah you’re right. She was very fortunate.
I can’t imagine how it would happened if insurance wasn’t involved - but that’s why i have insurance.
The timeline for her was approx:
c.7am accident.
8am arrived at International SOS
9.30 transferred to Royal Rattanak
10.30 insurance rep met me at RR to take our passports
3.15ish left RR
6pm ish arrived in Bumrungrad
Very slick process.

Having quality insurance is the best advice you can get. Insurance company will decide best place for treatment inside or outside Cambodia.

Can i ask what insurance she had and with what provider?

Not sure of details but think it was through IMG.

[holidayinkh]

If you’re downtown Phnom Penh and have a heart attack or are in an accident with a severed limb or severe internal bleeding, go to Callmette. Otherwise, Royal Phnom Penh.

Can't speak for RPP as I've never had a reason to go. But Calmette is not nearly as bad as people on this forum make it out to be. At least, if you are not poor and / or not Khmer.

I've little doubt that Calmette had the best trauma center in PP, though that may have changed with RPP. Obviously RPP spends a lot of money on marketing and I have certainly heard of some bad experiences there (search the forum).

As others have mentioned, if the smaller clinics or hospitals can't help, they'll just send your ass to Calmette. If you're lucky they'll get you a tuk tuk to get the fuck out of their business so you don't die there.

[Mèo Đen]

Can't speak for RPP as I've never had a reason to go. But Calmette is not nearly as bad as people on this forum make it out to be. At least, if you are not poor and / or not Khmer.

Calmette is (or was) OK and as I keep saying (ad nauseam) if you want very good care at a reasonable price, go to Central.

[Clap]

I had a heart attack back in September 2016 in Phnom Penh on a Saturday evening. I kept protesting to the GF not to take me to Calmette but as we didn't know many alternatives she took me to Naga Clinic. They had NOTHING to help my cause except for an ECG machine that the nurse took ages to hook up even with the Russian accented "doctor" yelling at her to hurry as it was urgent. ECG done and the guy turned a grayer colour than me and said "quick get to Calmete they have a Cardiologist" then made sure they got their $50 bucks and turned me out onto the street.

Luckily the tuk tuk we came in was still waiting out the front and he took me to Calmete in the evening traffic. On the way I was busy conveying numbers of next of kin to the GF and instructions on what to do when I go down for the count. On arrival at Calmete I exclaimed "oh fuck this is just like an African field hospital...I am well and truly fucked".

Once inside they didn't mess around and the orderlies/nurses whatever where prepping me for an angiogram while the doctor was going over some details. The doc explained what he was going to do and handed me the consent form and a pen and i stupidly asked "what are my options?" he looked at me puzzled and I repeated "am I about to have a heart attack" and he calmly replied "its happening now".

Within what seemed like 20 minutes of me being wheeled through the door, they were doing an angiogram and attempting to stent the blocked artery (Left Anterior Decending). All was captured on a DVD for record keeping and after 5 days in the ward I was stabilised enough to get me to fly to another country. The Cardiologist in Australia who viewed the DVD said they did all the right things, took the right options and saved my life.

The Nurses said a few things that I remember. 1. Most of the Barangs who come in are for heart attacks. 2. I was lucky that I had someone stay with me for the duration and sleep on the floor next to the bed, feed me, bathe me and take care, translate and oversea bill paying etc. Most barangs who came in were presumably with casual aquantances and left to fend for them selves.

15 months later I am still kicking and pretty happy about that. Best $1600 I ever spent.