by Sally Plomley
sallyp@isb.ac.th
ISB School Health Coordinator
Medical Emergencies occur when we least expect it. We all need to know how we can get help in the case of an emergency. At ISB we continually get new members of our community who have come from overseas and do not know what to do in the event of an emergency.
School:
At school we have our School Health Nurse working Monday to Friday 7am-8pm and Saturday 8am-3pm (or later depending on sport schedule). In the case of a medical emergency or accident call 1111 from an internal phone or 081 944 8255 from a mobile phone. The nurse has been trained to assess the situation and call for help as required. We do have a school ambulance to transfer patients to hospital if required.
If there is no nurse on duty we recommend you call World Medical Centre on 02 836 9977 for an ambulance. You should also call security on 7705 from internal phone or 081 806 6740 from mobile phone to notify them of the situation so they can direct the ambulance.
Nichada Thani:
At times the school may be able to help with medical emergencies in the Nichada community. This may not be possible when there is only 1 nurse on duty or if the nurses are dealing with emergencies in the school. You may call the nurse on the above number but she may tell you to call for help elsewhere. Ambulances can be arranged through the following local hospitals:
World Medical Centre (Ambulance) 02 836 9977
Mongkut Wattana General Hospital 02 574 1000
Nonthavej Hospital 02 596 7888
The Bumrungrad Nichada Clinic does NOT offer an emergency service. There is no ambulance available from there and the doctor will not attend emergencies in the community. They do not have any imaging on site and can only treat minor injuries. The number for the clinic is 02 960 4216 and they are open Monday to Friday 10am-6pm and Saturdays 9am-12pm. They are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Downtown:
If you live downtown or are visiting the downtown area it is worth knowing where the nearest hospital is to call for help. Some hospitals in the downtown area are:
Bangkok Hospital 02 310 3000 (New Petchaburi Rd)
Bumrungrad Hospital (Ambulance) 02 667 1188 (Sukhumvit 3)
Phayathai 1 Hospital 02 640 1111 (Victory Monument)
Phayathai 2 Hospital 02 617 2400 (Victory Monument)
Samitivej Hospital (Ambulance) 02 711 8389 (Sukhumvit 49)
In Bangkok you can also call 191 (general emergencies and ask for ambulance) or 1669 (for an ambulance). The problem with this is the ambulance comes from a central location and may take some time to get to you.
When there is a medical emergency please remain calm. Assign one person to call for help and speak slowly to the nurse/operator to get help. Tell them the nature of the injury and the location of the victim. If you are an english speaker remember that you will be talking to someone who is not a native english speaker and speaking to them quickly or in a panic may cause confusion. One of the most important things is to keep yourself and the patient calm. Getting panicked will only cause a rise in blood pressure in the patient and potentially make the injury/illness worse.
Allow time for the help to arrive. Do not call every 1-2 minutes to see why help has not arrived….it will just slow down the process and people will be answering the phone not getting to you.
Living in Bangkok it can be hard to access medical care quickly. It may be worth doing basic first aid training and keeping a first aid kit in your car so you can help stabilize the patients whilst waiting for help to arrive. A CPR and First Aid course for children is offered by Samitivej Hospital (link). There is First Aid Bangkok also provide general CPR and First Aid training in Bangkok (link).
Please put the above numbers into your mobile phone so you have them should you ever need them.
ISB is committed to your child’s overall development, both educationally and health related. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact your healthcare provider or the ISB Health Clinic (nurse@isb.ac.th).