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dhedra,

Shorthcoming of the health care system in Thailand :

1) There is no established primary health care system

Doctors in Thailand all want to be specialists. So you will not find a good reliable allround physician at the corner of your street for your minor ailments. As a foreigner you will have to visit a general hospital, where you most likely will be examined by a doctor, specialized in one field or another. Since we usually have different possibly small medical problems that might interact, this is not always easy to handle for a medical specialist. Believe me, a surgeon does not have a clue how to treat a common flu, and a cardiologist can not handle a stomach problem. (If they think they can, that is another problem altogether)
The best way to go is your ailment is not quite clear, is to ask a general medicine (internist) evaluation, and take it from there.

2) Most Thai doctors working in hospitals do not do so fulltime.

Physicians and surgeons have a working schedules in different hospitals, spread over the city (like in Bangkok) and go from one place to another to do their clinics and perform medical procedures (like surgery). Besides working in hospitals, they are also likely to have a private clinic somewhere. They work altogether long hours, also often in the evening, and spend quite some time travelling by car, we can presume. One can imagine the complications this can create. Suppose you had some surgery done in hospital A, and some problem turns up after surgery. Well, you surgeon might me working in another hospital, or stuck in traffic, trying to solve you problem on the mobile phone, communicating with the nursing staff.
Another result is that you will not see your doctor that often while you stay in the hospital, and he or she will turn up at unusual hours, after doing his clinics (at various places)

3) There are no adequate emergency transport facilities

Very few hospitals run a good emergency service. You will have to get to the emergency room by yourself if possible. If you have a major heart attack, well good luck. If it happens during the day time, you will spend quite some time in the traffic. Cars do not even give way easily, if you happen to be transported by an ambulance. There is certainly no established emergency transportation system in Bangkok, where the ambulance will bring you to the nearest suitable hospital. For some ailments, urgent treatment is essential for long-term benefits. Like in a heart attack, treatment given within minutes or the first hour, may save your life, or allow you to lead a normal life afterwards, as compared to death and disability. So, people prone to medical emergencies, should simple try to have a hotel, or live, very close to a suitable hospital.

4) Money is very important

Fortunately, most Westerners will have obligatory insurance, or will be assumed to have a medical insurance. Still, you better have the cash or credit card ready, or at least pertinent medical insurance documents. In many cases, hospital staff will ask you to pay up front, before they start given attention to your problem! Regularly, stories appear in the Thai newspapers, of Thai people being turned down when arriving at a private hospital, only to die on their way to a government sponsored hospital, because they can not show the money. This is a major ethical flaw in the health care system in Thailand. Although admission and general treatment in the hospitals is otherwise quite pleasant, asking for money up front in the way done, feels like inappropriate and impolite to say the least.

Positive site of treatment in Thai Hospitals
We have experience with Bumrungrad Hospital (Sukhumvit Road) and Bangkok General Hospital (Petchaburi Road). Both cater to foreign patients and are all set up for just that. Language is usually not a problem, and there are lots of translators available for many languages, not just English (which most doctors can handle fluently anyway)
The technical equipment and expertise is all there. For instance, it is not difficult to get an MRI or your brain of limbs if necessary, while at least in some so called developed countries in Europe, this is not always possible.
We had some surgery, requiring epidural anesthesia on two occasions. The procedures involved are very well organized, and you will feel in good hands altogether when going for treatment. You may not see the doctor as often as in Europe or the U.S. (see above), but the nursing staff will give you ample attention, so much so that it might be difficult to get a good sleep in hospital, because they seem to turn up around the clock to check on your condition.
The price of treatment seems to be well fixed, and not at random. You will be told before treatment how much it will costs, you pay in advance. Small additional costs or reimbursements are handled before discharge. The doctor's fees are not particularly low, although reportedly much less than what you would pay in Europe and certainly the U.S. What is astonishing are the low costs for nursing care, the room etc. Estimate your room and nursing costs for about 3,000-5,000 baht a day only. So if you are uncertain and uncomfortable leaving the hospital soon, and being confined to your hotel room, just try to stay a little bit longer in the hospital, where you do not have to worry too much, in case some small additional problem occurs.
Outpatient treatment is also well organized in the well reputed hospitals mentioned above. At least here you will not have to pay in advance. The doctor's fee will be in the 500-800 bath range. Some more fees : a standard chest X-ray about 250 baht, electrocardiogram 500 baht, MRI (including radiologist fee) about 10,000 baht, standard blood examination (including lipid profile) about 3000-4000 baht.
We have also experience with Bangkok Christian Hospital on Silom Road. This is a smaller hospital, but the standard doctor's fees are much lower than mentioned above. We remember seeing an eye-nose-throat physician there a few years ago, and being charged only 200 baht at the time.(most likely it will be around 300 baht now). So if you have minor ailments, like a persistent cold, stomach upset etc. this much cheaper facility can be recommended.
Dental services :
We regularly use the services of the Dental Hospital in Sukhumvit Soi 49. The hospital, solely dedicated to providing dental services, is located deep in the soi (about 2,3 km) just a few hundred meters before Samitivej hospital (which might be better known by taxi drivers). Opposite the Dental Hospital is an Villa Market supermarket, which can serve as another landmark.
The hospital is a separate building, 4 storeys high. You will get a general dental check-up on your first visit. Prices are not very low, though probably much cheaper than in home countries. As a guideline, dental cleaning is priced at 1,200 baht. There is an abundance of various dental specialists, and you could get any necessary dental work done here.
Another facility with good services we know about is at the basement of Glasshouse, at the entrance of Sukhumvit soi 25.
The dental department of the hospitals mentioned above for sure also offer good dental services.
Eye clinic :
If you need any check-up for your eyesight, we can recommend Rutnin Eye Hospital, located on Asoke road. It is located on the right side, when you entered Asoke from Sukhumvit Road. It is a 2 km walk though from Sukhumvit, since the Eye hospital is located close to Petchaburi Road.
The hospital just recently has been rebuild. A general check-up is not expensive at about 600-700 baht, and includes eyesight measurements, eyeball pressure measurements (necessary every so often when you passed 40 years of age), and examination by ophthalmologist.
You can have your eyes checked if you just need new glasses, at about every street corner in Bangkok.