A fever that won’t go away, a scooter fall, a health check during a long stay: sooner or later, many travellers and expats need a hospital in Thailand. Saint Louis Hospital Bangkok (โรงพยาบาลเซนต์หลุยส์), in the Sathorn district, is one of the names often given to foreigners. Here is the practical guide: getting there, services, languages, documents, how a visit works and how to pay. This guide does not replace a doctor’s advice.
Saint Louis Hospital Bangkok at a glance
Saint Louis is a private Catholic hospital, run on a not-for-profit basis and linked to the Archdiocese of Bangkok. It was founded in 1898 next to Saint Louis Church and is described as the first Catholic hospital in Thailand. Pope John Paul II (1984) and Pope Francis (2019) both visited it.
It is a general hospital with several hundred beds. Facilities include an intensive care unit (ICU), a coronary care unit (CCU), operating theatres, a cardiac catheterisation lab and a dedicated palliative care area. A prayer and meditation room is open to people of all faiths. In May 2024 the hospital signed a cooperation agreement with the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University covering training, research and medical services.
Address and access: BTS, taxi or Grab
The address: 27 South Sathorn Road (Sathon Tai Road, ถนนสาทรใต้), Yannawa, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120. The main switchboard is +66 2 838 5555 (02 838 5555 from a Thai phone). Check the number on the official website, saintlouis.or.th, before calling.
- BTS Saint Louis (S4), on the Silom Line: this is the closest station. It is named after the neighbourhood, its church and the hospital. It opened in 2021 between Chong Nonsi and Surasak.
- BTS Surasak (S5), on the same line: the hospital lies between the two stations, so Surasak is also a short walk away.
- Taxi or Grab: ask for “Saint Louis Hospital, Sathorn Tai” or show the Thai name, โรงพยาบาลเซนต์หลุยส์. At rush hour Sathorn is often jammed, and the BTS is faster.
To make the most of the Skytrain and river boats, read our guide getting around Bangkok by BTS, MRT and boat.
Services, specialties and languages
Saint Louis covers the main specialties of a general hospital: internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, cardiology and dentistry, among others. The emergency department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The hospital also offers health check-up programmes: ask at the counter or by phone for the list of packages and exactly what each includes.
As for languages, several sources say English is widely spoken by reception staff, nurses and doctors, and that an international desk looks after foreign patients. For any other language, don’t count on an interpreter unless you have asked: check in advance. If you speak neither Thai nor English, come with someone you trust who can translate, or write down your symptoms and medical history in English.
Good to know: in a serious emergency, Thailand’s national medical emergency number is 1669. For basic words (“hospital”, “doctor”, “it hurts”), our Thai phrasebook can help.
Appointments, documents and how a visit works
For a simple consultation, many patients walk in without an appointment and are seen in order of arrival. For a particular specialist or a health check-up, call ahead: staff will tell you which days the doctor is in. Bring:
- your passport (requested to open your patient file);
- your insurance card or certificate, with your insurer’s assistance number;
- a list of your medications and recent medical documents (prescriptions, results, reports), in English if possible;
- a way to pay: bank card or cash in baht.
In a Thai private hospital, the route is usually the same. At registration, staff copy your passport and create your file; you may get a patient card to keep for later visits. A nurse then checks your weight, blood pressure and temperature, and notes your symptoms. Next comes the consultation with the doctor. Afterwards you go to the cashier, who gives you an itemised bill, then to the hospital pharmacy, which hands over the prescribed medicines.
Keep every invoice and the medical certificate: your insurer will ask for them if you claim a refund. Ask for them in English.
Insurance, guarantee of payment and billing
There are two cases. Either the hospital bills your insurer directly: it then requests a guarantee of payment (or guarantee letter). Once it arrives, you normally pay only the deductible or anything not covered. Or you pay yourself and then claim the money back from your insurer.
One specialist source lists several international insurers accepted at Saint Louis (including Allianz, Cigna, AIA, April, Pacific Cross, Bupa and Aetna). That is not a guarantee: agreements change. Before a planned admission, call your insurer and the hospital to confirm direct billing. If the guarantee does not arrive in time, a deposit or full payment may be requested.
Fees depend on the doctor, tests and medicines. We don’t publish prices: ask for an itemised estimate before any costly test, procedure or health check-up. Patient accounts describe Saint Louis as mid-range among Bangkok’s private hospitals.
Practical tips
- Take out travel insurance that covers medical costs in Thailand before you leave, and save its assistance number in your phone.
- Arrive early in the morning for a walk-in visit: the wait is often shorter.
- Write down your questions for the doctor, and ask for the exact names of the medicines prescribed.
- Keep a photo of your passport and insurance card on your phone, just in case.
- Stay polite and calm at the counter: it is part of Thai etiquette, and it makes everything easier.
- For any decision about your health, follow a doctor’s advice, in Thailand or at home.
The Thaïlande en poche app: Mr Schaka offers a free app, Thaïlande en poche. It installs from the website and brings together the guide’s maps and addresses, so you can find your way around Bangkok, Sathorn included.
Frequently asked questions
What is the nearest BTS station to Saint Louis Hospital?
BTS Saint Louis (S4), on the Silom Line. Surasak (S5) is also within walking distance.
Do I need an appointment?
Not always for a simple consultation. For a specialist or a health check-up, call ahead to check availability.
Do the staff speak English?
Yes, English is widely spoken. For another language, ask in advance whether an interpreter is available.
How much does a consultation cost?
It depends on the doctor and the tests. Ask the hospital for an itemised estimate and check your cover with your insurer.
The book
The Season of Breath, Mr Schaka’s memoir-style story, follows a man living with a lung disease between Belgium and Thailand. An intimate look at health, travel and daily life in Bangkok, available in English.
