Medical facilities on Koh Samet
Clinics, pharmacy and emergency info
| Facility | Hours | Phone | Location | Best for | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok Rayong Clinic | 10am – 8pm | 038 016 301 | Near the pier | Walk-in, injuries, emergencies | Map |
| International Clinic Koh Samet | 8am – 8pm | 038 644 414 | Village | Walk-in, early hours cover | Map |
| Village pharmacy | 8am – 10pm | – | Village | Minor ailments, basic supplies | Map |
| Rayong Hospital | 24 hours | – | Mainland (via Ban Phe) | Emergencies, surgery, imaging | Map |
Planning a Trip to Koh Samet?
This article is part of our complete Koh Samet travel guide, written by local hosts. It brings together transport tips, the best beaches, where to stay, food and nightlife, and practical local advice to help you plan your trip with confidence.
There are two clinics on the island, a pharmacy in the village, and a mainland hospital about 45 minutes away by boat and road. For most visits, that’s more than enough. For serious emergencies, the situation is manageable but worth understanding before you arrive.
The clinics
Bangkok Rayong Clinic
The clinic directly opposite The Cocoon Hostel is our first recommendation for anything that needs professional attention. It’s a walk-in clinic, open 10am to 8pm, with English-speaking staff and reasonable prices by Thai standards.
We’ve sent guests there after motorbike accidents and been happy with the response every time. My nephew needed stitches after an incident on the island and the emergency treatment was fast, thorough, and genuinely good. It’s the clinic we’d go to ourselves.
- Walk-in, no appointment needed
- Open 10am – 8pm
- Opposite The Cocoon Hostel, near the pier
- English spoken
International Clinic Koh Samet
There is a second clinic in the village, open 8am to 8pm. Useful if you need attention before the Bangkok Rayong Clinic opens, or if you’re staying at the village end of the island.
- Walk-in, no appointment needed
- Open 8am – 8pm
- Located in the village
The pharmacy
There’s a pharmacy in the village that covers most common needs – antihistamines, rehydration salts, wound dressings, basic pain relief. For the vast majority of visitors it will have what you need. If you have specific medication requirements or rely on anything critical, bring enough supply from home. It’s a small pharmacy and stock varies.
Serious emergencies
Koh Samet is an island, which means serious emergencies – anything requiring surgery, advanced imaging, or intensive care – involve a boat transfer to Ban Phe on the mainland followed by road transport to Rayong or beyond. How that transfer happens depends on the situation and who’s coordinating it. It is not a fast process.
This isn’t a reason to avoid the island. Millions of people visit without incident. But it is the reality of island travel, and it’s exactly why travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is non-negotiable if you’re coming here.
Travel insurance
Get it before you travel. Not optional. Medical evacuation from an island is expensive and logistically complicated without coverage, and if something serious happens – a bad motorbike accident, an acute illness – the cost of repatriation or mainland hospital treatment without insurance will ruin your trip financially.
Make sure your policy covers motorbike riding if you plan to rent one. Most standard policies require a valid license and a helmet to be worn at the time of the incident. Without both, you may not be covered.
We recommend Ekta Travel Insurance for visitors to Koh Samet – their policies cover medical evacuation and motorbike riding, and we earn a small commission if you book through this link at no extra cost to you.
Motorbikes and the real risk
The roads on Koh Samet are quiet, relatively short, and forgiving compared to most of Thailand. It’s genuinely one of the easier places to ride. That said, the majority of accidents we see involve people who are inexperienced riders – visitors who decide the island is a good place to try it for the first time.
Helmets are not legally enforced on the island and most people don’t wear one. There are no police checkpoints, no fines. But your insurance will likely be void if you’re not wearing one when something goes wrong – and that changes everything. Ask for a helmet when you rent. Most places have them.
Our honest take
The medical situation on Koh Samet is fine for a small tourist island. The Bangkok Rayong Clinic opposite us is genuinely good – we’ve seen it handle real emergencies well. The gaps are the same gaps you’d find on any island: limited hours, limited capacity, and mainland dependency for anything serious.
Get travel insurance, bring any critical medication, and ride a motorbike within your ability. Do those three things and you’re unlikely to need more than the pharmacy.
