Women's Health and OB-GYN Services in Chiang Mai: 3 compared

Screening and gynaecology checks

From 30 onwards, the WHO advises cervical screening every five to ten years using a high-performance method like HPV testing, on a different timetable for women living with HIV. In Thailand, Thai women aged 30 to 60 can have HPV screening through the universal coverage scheme, with self-sampling kits handed out free at public hospitals and clinics. If the scheme does not cover you, ask the provider which test it uses and the price.

For breast checks, find out which methods are available (clinical examination, mammography or ultrasound), which age groups they are offered to, and how you will receive the results. Take earlier reports with you so changes can be spotted.

Who looks after what

Obstetricians care for you during pregnancy, birth and the weeks that follow. Gynaecologists deal with everything else in the reproductive system, from periods and contraception to menopause, screening, fibroids and endometriosis, and many doctors do both as OB-GYNs. For higher-risk pregnancies, for instance where the mother lives with a long-term illness or the baby must be watched more closely, there is a further sub-specialty called maternal-fetal medicine.

You can look up a doctor's licence and recorded specialty using the Medical Council of Thailand's public search. If a sub-specialist is recommended, check that they work at the hospital where you plan to give birth.

Pregnancy appointments and what packages cover

WHO guidance is for at least eight antenatal contacts, with the first in the opening 12 weeks, and a single ultrasound scan by 24 weeks. Hospitals set their own schedules, so ask how many appointments to expect and who will see you.

Private hospitals in Thailand commonly sell combined pregnancy and birth packages. Get the terms on paper and look for:

• How many doctor appointments are included, and whether you keep the same obstetrician
• The scans and blood tests that are covered, and those charged on top
• Separate prices for a vaginal birth and a caesarean, and how an unplanned caesarean is billed
• The room, the number of nights and the newborn care after delivery
• How the price changes if complications bring extra tests, more nights or neonatal care

Picking the hospital for the birth

Find out who is physically in the hospital overnight. Ask whether the obstetric, anaesthetic and paediatric doctors are in the building at all hours or called in from home, and how fast an emergency caesarean can happen. The WHO describes caesarean birth as potentially life-saving when there is a medical need and says that need should be the reason for it, so ask how the hospital reaches that decision and how it supports a vaginal birth.

The neonatal unit deserves equal scrutiny if your baby might need specialist care. Hospitals often quote a level for their unit, but the scales are not uniform, so ask what care it gives in practice, which babies it usually treats, and where it sends those it cannot.

Insurance before you conceive

Maternity cover differs widely between policies, so check yours before a pregnancy begins or before you relocate. Ask whether there is a waiting period before maternity benefits start, whether payments are capped, and whether a pregnancy that started before the policy is excluded. A travel policy may exclude everyday pregnancy care and an overseas birth entirely, so confirm before relying on it.

Check whether your policy covers the newborn, including any neonatal unit stay. If you are paying yourself, ask what deposit the hospital takes when you are admitted to deliver and how charges beyond the package are billed.

Registering a baby born in Thailand

Every birth in Thailand must be recorded with the Thai civil registration authorities; according to the National Statistical Office, the Civil Registration Act allows 15 days for this. Under a Ministry of Public Health order from September 2026, hospitals may no longer register births at district offices for families, so parents must go themselves. Ask the hospital which documents it provides and the district office what else it requires.

Foreign parents also have their own country's process to follow; the UK, for instance, recognises the Thai birth certificate and offers UK registration as an option. Look up your embassy's rules for the baby's passport well before the due date.

On the ward itself, ask whether night-shift midwives and nurses can communicate with you, and whether your partner or an interpreter may stay throughout labour.