Phuket Post :: Article :: Phuket International Hospital

The Phuket International Hospital, poised to commission another great milestone in its illustrious history, is no stranger to the island.

Way back in 1978, Dr Anuroj Tarnsirioj and his wife Dr Supanee nursed a vision of providing affordable, quality healthcare to the people of Phuket. Dr Aburoj and Dr Supanee started small, running a clinic on Phang-nga road in Phuket town.

The doctors soon realized there was a growing need for inpatient services and specialized care, and decided to 'expand'. Hence was born Phuket's first private hospital, then called the "Siriroj", located on Krabi road in Phuket town. They started with 24 beds.

Today, Phuket International Hospital treats over 100, 000 patients per year.

The Siriroj hospital continued its services on Krabi road for 11 years.

"Dr Anuroj noticed an increase in foreign patients; and his new patients were more demanding of better services rooms and technology," Khun Anurak Tansiriroj, Managing Director of the Phuket International Hospital, and brother of the founding doctor told the Post team . "This set him on a quest to find a site for a new type of hospital for both Thai and foreigners. He found what he felt was the ideal place for the new venture, on the bypass road. He did not want to borrow money from banks, and so he asked his family, his friends, and his staff to invest in this undertaking."

Everyone was more than willing to support the cause, and so construction began on the ten Rai of land, approximately 11 years ago.

In 1993, with 92 inpatient beds, 6 intensive care units and sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic care, Phuket International Hospital pioneered the healthcare development in Phuket.

A long journey indeed, and as Khun Anurak told us, one that never lost sight of the initial vision of the founders. Quality treatment with special emphasis on the 'family'.

Phuket International Hopsital is now putting the finishing touches on its new 350 million baht facility. Comprising six stories, the new wing will increase the inpatient beds count to 150.

"These are all separate rooms." Khun Anurak informs us. "The range of medical treatment that they can provide has also increased, all the old equipment has gone and new modern machines are in place to provide better than ever medical care to our patients."

The focus on the family is very evident. Even as you walk into the new wing of the hospital, a specialized women's centre is the first unit you notice, and just next door is a dedicated children's department, with separate play areas. The spacious private inpatient rooms are designed to offer ample space for families to be part of the care team.

The tradition therefore, continues, and the hospital has, along the way, expanded its scope to include foreigners and medical tourists who elect to come to Phuket from all over the globe.
Phuket International Hospital was in fact, the first hospital on the island to treat medical tourists, and was instrumental in putting Phuket on the map for international standards of healthcare.

With a state of the art dental and hemodialysis centre, as well as Phuket's largest plastic and aesthetic treatment centre, carefully planned specialty units, treatment rooms, laboratories and surgical suites, the hospital's new facility continues to raise the bar on international health services and care on Phuket.

As Peter Davison, the international face of the hospital shows us around the colossal new facility, he explains that to make the hospital as much of a 'home' for foreigners as for Thais, additional space has been allocated for support services.

An International Lounge allows foreign patients to relax and enjoy some leisure time. Moreover, they can obtain any information they may need from the extensive reception areas. To facilitate communication with the international guests, PIH has an International Services Department, with trained staff that can communicate in languages such as German, Scandinavian, Japanese and of course, English.

As we walk through the hospital's swish new interiors, Peter shows us the careful thought and planning that has gone into every little detail, from the pastel colours in the children's departments to the pink in the women's, and the large balconies on some of the inpatient rooms that capture natural lights and offer lovely views.

"Ours is the only hospital that offers indoor parking," says Peter, showing us the large parking unit that can accommodate 150 cars. For those who rely on Phuket sunshine and decide to park outside, only to discover that it's pelting down on their way out, the hospital offers 'tuk-tuk' drops right from the entrance of the hospital to where you're parked.
In short, the hospital looks to anticipate every need and take care of it.

Peter has been with the hospital almost 5 years now. With a background in nursing and later ambulance services, the Australian national has always been in the health care arena and believes firmly in the hospital's mission of quality health care.

"For me, as a foreigner, this is such a great opportunity to be part of an institution that is so vital for Phuket," he told us. "Being part of the hospital as it has been growing has been very satisfying, and now being able to be part of this momentous expansion makes me very proud."

Peter expects the new wing to be fully functional in December 2007, and then it will be time for the old wing to get a complete revamp. While most of the inpatient departments will be in the new facility, the renovated old wing will house the surgeries and care departments.

"The demand for international standard health care has grown exponentially over the last decade or so," says Peter, "and I expect this demand to continue to grow robustly. With our patient-focused healing environment, we are confident that our new facility will contribute significantly to the development of Phuket's health care services."