Medical check-ups don’t have to be stressful

Being on the wrong side of fifty, I decided a few months ago that a full-body medical check-up was not only sensible, but also long overdue.

After researching the Hong Kong market, it seemed the cost of the compre-hensive check-up I wanted would be somewhere in the region of HK$9,000 – a bit expensive, I thought, but you can’t put a price on peace of mind, can you? So, last week, I went ahead and spent the money … in Thailand.

You see, I also found out the Phuket International Hospital offers an ‘executive body check’ for about a quarter of the Hong Kong price, with (I was told) a service and value for money that was unbeatable. I just had to check it out.

I sorted out a five-day, low-season, Wednesday-to-Sunday package near Bangtao Beach (well, it would have been silly to spend just one day there, wouldn’t it?) with my check-up on the Friday.

Bangtao Beach rush hour

Now, I’m sure some of you think five days is indul-gent, but I assure you the two days either side of my body check were not all fun – sometimes it was sheer bloody hell: Should I spend the morning by the pool or on the beach? Which restaurant should I go to for lunch? And which one for dinner? I hope you believe me when I say I was under stress. And I’m certain it affected my blood pressure. 

In contrast, the body check was heaven: the doctors and nurses were friendly, polite and professional; the hospital itself was modern, airy and clean; and the tests and examinations were carried out efficiently using state-of-the-art machines and equipment. At the end of the three-hour check-up, the doctor went through all the results with me, clearly explaining everything in words of less than three syllables so I could understand. Completely satisfied, I left not only with a record booklet of my results, but also with a broad smile and the peace of mind I had been searching for.

And the all-in cost of my five-day mini-break? Less than HK$9,000.

Can you guess where I’m going to have my follow-up next year?