Paediatric Care and Children’s Clinic in Patong, Phuket: Same-Day Care for Babies, Children and Teens 24/7

Same-day paediatric assessment for fever, gastro, ear pain, rashes, asthma, dengue, hand-foot-and-mouth and the scrapes, stings and sunburn that come with a Phuket family holiday. Weight-based prescribing, English-speaking review, walk-in clinic or hotel-room visit, day or night. Clinically reviewed by the Doctor Patong Takecare Clinic medical team.

WhatsApp now for same-day paediatric review  |  Call +66 81 718 9080  |  Find the clinic on Google Maps

Children get sick on holiday, and they rarely do it at a convenient time. Hotels in Phuket run 24/7 but the local clinics often do not, and most travelling families have no GP relationship on the island. Our paediatric service is built around that reality: an English-speaking doctor who can be at your room within the hour, a clinic open day and night, weight-based prescribing for the medicines that matter, and a direct line to the paediatric specialists at Bangkok Hospital Phuket if your child needs more than primary care.

What we see most often in children in Patong

Family travel produces a fairly predictable list of paediatric problems. Viral fever from upper respiratory infection is the single most common reason a child is brought in, followed by gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhoea) caught from buffets, pools or other children, and acute otitis media (middle ear infection) often triggered by swimming and a cold at the same time. We see plenty of asthma flare-ups in children on holiday, partly because routine inhalers get left in the hotel safe and partly because heat, humidity and pool chlorine are reliable triggers. Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cycles through hotel kids clubs and daycare in waves, dengue fever rises with the rainy season, and conjunctivitis (pink eye) jumps between siblings within hours. On top of that we treat the practical injuries of a family beach holiday: coral and reef scrapes, jellyfish stings, sunburn, scooter falls (in older children), insect bites, and the constipation that comes from a few days of different food and dehydration. For the specific protocols we use most often, see our pages on Fever, Ear Infection, Asthma, Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease and Pink Eye.

Common paediatric presentations and how we treat them

Age matters: red flags by age group

Children are not small adults, and the threshold for worry shifts sharply with age. Any baby under 3 months with a temperature of 38 degrees or above needs a hospital workup to rule out serious bacterial infection, because the usual signs of meningitis or sepsis are often absent at that age. Infants under 6 months with any concerning illness deserve a low threshold to refer. A bulging fontanelle, the soft spot on top of an infant’s head, can signal meningitis or raised intracranial pressure and is an emergency. A non-blanching rash that does not fade under glass pressure together with a fever raises meningococcal disease and means a 1669 ambulance call immediately. Stridor with drooling and a child leaning forward, refusing to lie back, is the classic picture of epiglottitis, which is rare now thanks to Hib vaccination but still possible. Bilious (green) vomiting in an infant suggests pyloric stenosis, intussusception or bowel obstruction and needs urgent surgical review. Severe dehydration shows up as sunken eyes, a dry mouth, no wet nappy for 8 hours, lethargy and prolonged capillary refill, and is the most common reason we send a child for IV fluids.

Weight-based prescribing and the medicines to avoid

Paediatric prescribing is by weight, not age, and getting the dose right is the difference between a comfortable child and either an undertreated one or a toxic one. Paracetamol is the first-line analgesic and antipyretic at 15 mg per kg every 4 to 6 hours, with a maximum of 60 mg per kg per day or 4 g, whichever is lower. Ibuprofen at 10 mg per kg every 6 to 8 hours is added once the child is over 6 months and has had something in the stomach. Alternating the two through a fever day gives much smoother control than either alone. Amoxicillin at 80 to 90 mg per kg per day in two or three divided doses is the high-dose regimen we use for acute otitis media and community-acquired pneumonia in this region. Ondansetron at 0.15 mg per kg (maximum 8 mg per dose) is invaluable for the vomiting child who cannot keep ORS down. Aspirin is avoided in any child under 16 because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a rare but devastating liver and brain injury. Codeine and tramadol are avoided in children under 12 because of unpredictable metabolism and the risk of respiratory depression. Loperamide is not used for childhood diarrhoea, where the goal is rehydration and where slowing transit can hide deterioration.

Family travel precautions in Phuket

Most of the children we treat could have avoided the visit with a few practical measures. Mosquito repellent with DEET 10 to 30 percent is safe and effective for children over 2 months, and picaridin is a gentler alternative for younger or sensitive skin, which matters because dengue and Japanese encephalitis both circulate in Thailand. Mineral sunscreen at SPF 30 or higher applied every two hours, with rashguards in the water and shade during 10am to 3pm, prevents the bad sunburns we treat almost daily in fair-skinned children. Infants under 6 months should not be in direct sun at all. Tropical heat means children dehydrate faster than they do at home, and water plus an oral rehydration sachet once a day is sensible for any child who has been in the pool or on the beach. Pool and sea drowning is the leading cause of holiday death in young children, and constant adult eyes on the water beats any pool fence or armband. Children should not be on scooters as passengers or drivers, and toddler seats are rare in Thai taxis, so consider booking a car with a child seat in advance. Food safety is the usual advice: hot cooked food, peeled fruit, bottled or boiled water, ice from sealed bags, and a low threshold to skip the buffet for younger children.

Prevention, vaccines and well-child care

Routine childhood vaccinations follow the Thai national EPI schedule, and we offer catch-up programmes for travelling families whose children are behind on the UK, US, Australian or European schedules. The travel-specific jabs we give most often in children are hepatitis A from age 1, Japanese encephalitis for stays over a month or in rural areas, rabies pre-exposure for children who will be around animals, and Qdenga dengue vaccine for children aged 4 and over. The newborn check at 6 to 8 weeks is a separate appointment that covers feeding, weight gain, hips, heart and reflexes, and we offer growth and developmental milestone reviews for families who want continuity during a longer stay. See our Travel Vaccinations and Newborn Check pages for details.

Summary

A children’s clinic on a Phuket holiday is judged on speed, accuracy of prescribing, and willingness to come to the family rather than make a sick child travel. Our pathway is consistent: same-day clinic or hotel visit, weight-based dosing of paracetamol, ibuprofen, antibiotics and inhalers, careful red-flag screening with extra caution for infants under 3 months and any child with a non-blanching rash or breathlessness, and direct referral to the paediatric team at Bangkok Hospital Phuket for anything that needs admission, surgery or specialist care. Most visits end with a treatment plan, a clear safety net and a WhatsApp follow-up rather than a hospital trip.

“The families who do best on holiday are the ones who message us early. A photo of a rash, a video of a cough, a weight and a temperature: that is usually enough to decide whether you need a hotel visit, a clinic review or just reassurance and a plan.”

Doctor Patong Takecare Clinic medical team

Frequently asked questions

My baby is under 3 months and has a fever, is it really an emergency?

Yes. A temperature of 38 degrees or higher in any baby under 3 months is treated as a possible serious bacterial infection until proven otherwise, because meningitis, urinary infection and bacteraemia at this age often present without the classic signs. The standard workup is bloods, urine and sometimes a lumbar puncture, which means hospital not clinic. We will assess your baby immediately and arrange a direct referral to the paediatric team at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Do not wait overnight.

Can a doctor come to our hotel room to see a sick child?

Yes, and for a child this is usually the better option. A hotel visit means your child stays in a familiar room, you can keep siblings together, and we bring everything we need including paediatric thermometers, otoscope, nebuliser, oxygen saturation probe and a small pharmacy of the common medicines. The fee is the same in the daytime and a modest out-of-hours supplement at night. See our Hotel Visit page for how it works.

Paracetamol or ibuprofen, and can I give both?

Paracetamol at 15 mg per kg every 4 to 6 hours is the first choice and is safe from birth. Ibuprofen at 10 mg per kg every 6 to 8 hours can be added once your child is over 6 months and has had something in the stomach. Alternating the two through the day gives smoother fever and pain control than either alone. Aspirin must not be given to any child under 16 because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. We will write out the exact mL dose for your child’s weight before we leave.

Are antibiotics like amoxicillin safe for young children?

Yes, amoxicillin is safe from infancy and is our first-line antibiotic for the bacterial infections we see in children, mainly acute otitis media (middle ear infection) and community-acquired pneumonia. We use a high-dose regimen of 80 to 90 mg per kg per day split into two or three doses, which gives better coverage of resistant pneumococcus. We prescribe by weight, write out the mL dose, and check for penicillin allergy before starting. We do not use antibiotics for viral colds, croup or most sore throats.

Should I worry about dengue if my child has a fever in Phuket?

Dengue is endemic in Phuket, and any child with a fever lasting more than 48 hours, especially with body aches, retro-orbital eye pain or a rash, should be tested. We use a dengue NS1 antigen test in clinic with a result in 20 minutes, and we monitor platelets and warning signs (severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding gums, lethargy) over the next few days. There is no antiviral treatment, but careful fluid balance prevents the severe form, and a child who is monitored closely usually does very well.

How do I know if my child is dehydrated?

The reliable signs are a dry mouth and tongue, no tears when crying, sunken eyes, fewer than 4 wet nappies in 24 hours (or no urine for 8 hours in an older child), unusual sleepiness or irritability, and skin that stays pinched up briefly when gently lifted. In infants, a sunken fontanelle (soft spot) is a late sign. Mild dehydration is treated with oral rehydration solution given in small frequent sips, ondansetron if vomiting blocks intake, and a clinic review. Moderate or severe dehydration needs IV fluids, which we arrange.

Sources

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Fever in under 5s: assessment and initial management (NG143). nice.org.uk/guidance/ng143.
American Academy of Pediatrics. Clinical Practice Guidelines. aap.org clinical guidelines.
World Health Organization. Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI). who.int IMCI.

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