Thai medicine can be very good, with attentive, well-trained physicians who are available at reasonable costs. It is easy to set up an appointment quickly and most hospitals are very efficient.  However, East and West health care values are not the same.  Here are a few comparisons to keep in mind.  (from hr.healthcare.ucla.edu):

“Ours”                                                                        “Others”

Make it better                                                              Accept with grace

Control over nature                                                     Balance/Harmony with nature

Do something/intervene NOW                                    Wait and see

Strong measures                                                         Cautious deliberation

Plan Ahead-recent is better                                        Gentle approach, Take life as it comes

Standardize-treat everyone the same                         Individualize-recognize differences

Primary care MD oversees care                                 Specialist system

Here are some tips to help you feel successful when seeing a doctor in Thailand.

Points to remember

1. To register as a doctor in Thailand you must pass the Thai exam in Thai thus there are VERY few non-Thai internationally trained doctors.
2. Thai doctors trained overseas have good English for medicine but may not understand conversational English or be able to put medical concepts into simple words.
3. Thai society does not freely encourage independent thinking thus most doctors tend not the think outside the box.
4. Questions may be viewed as you questioning the doctor’s abilities and authority.  Some may feel that they lose face, thus some doctors will view questions with hostility.
5. A Thai doctor will tolerate questions from a Westerner but most will not tolerate one from another Thai.  This is why your staff member/employee may have no idea what is wrong, or what treatment they are receiving.
6. A Thai doctor will rarely say that they do not know something as this will be loss of face.
7. A Thai doctor will rarely say that they are wrong as this will be loss of face.
8. Some Thai doctors will continue with what another doctor was doing even if this is not the best method as this might cause the other doctor to lose face.
9. Thai doctors tend to over-prescribe medicine.  You may need to check with someone else which medicines are the necessary ones.
10.  You may need to ask what medications you are being given as often this is not written on the prescribed medication.
11. You are not likely to be asked about allergies or drug interactions (with something else you might already be taking). You need to be aware of this, ask questionss. The Dr might not know the answer to your question.
12. You may need to be firm and repeat your problem in different ways until you feel that your problem has been addressed.
13.  Do not get aggressive, blame, get upset or shout at a Thai doctor because this will cause the doctor to shut down and dismiss you without full treatment. 
14. Always be polite (however, you may need to be gently assertive.)
15.  Things are not like they are “at home”.  Be prepared.