What Happens When You Visit Thamel Clinic — Step by Step
Here's exactly what your visit looks like — from walking in off Chaksibari Marg to walking out with a diagnosis, prescription, and insurance-ready documentation. Total time: usually 45–90 minutes including lab work.
- 1 You Arrive — Walk In or Booked
Ground floor on Chaksibari Marg, 120m east of Kathmandu Guest House. No stairs. If you booked online, reception greets you by name with your file already open. Walk-ins: you'll typically wait under 15 minutes — much less than a hospital OPD queue.
- 2 Reception & Triage (2–5 min)
We confirm your details, take vital signs (BP, pulse, SpO2, temperature), and ask what brought you in. Passport is needed for record-keeping — that's the only document required.
- 3 Private Physician Consultation (15–25 min)
One-on-one with an English-speaking physician in a private room — not a curtain-separated ward. Full history, examination, and honest assessment. We explain what we think is going on, what tests we'd recommend, and why — before anything is done.
- Lab & Tests (If Needed — 30–60 min)
On-site lab for stool, blood, urine, and rapid tests. Most results in under an hour, sent to your phone or given in print — you see the results before the physician explains them.
- 5 Diagnosis, Treatment & Prescription
The physician explains the diagnosis in plain English, prescribes from our verified pharmacy (dispensed on the spot), gives written aftercare instructions, and tells you exactly when to come back or escalate if needed.
- 6 Insurance Documentation (5 min)
Itemized receipt + ICD-10 medical report — every diagnosis and charge coded properly for your insurer. We email you the PDF the same day. If you're claiming directly, we coordinate the GOP with your insurer before treatment.
- 7 Follow-Up — Free Within 7 Days
Come back or WhatsApp us within 7 days if symptoms don't improve or new questions come up — follow-up visits within the same illness episode are free ($20 if it's a new episode).
What We Do Differently
- No queue-jumping culture: we see everyone in order — no "special" back-door treatment for locals or big spenders
- No pressure to over-test: we recommend only tests that change the diagnosis — if a stool test isn't needed, we say so
- No surprise bills: we tell you the price before treatment — $40 consult, tests itemized, total visible upfront
- Same physician, same visit: your consult, your labs, your prescription — all handled by one physician, not five handoffs
- Free WhatsApp follow-up: questions within 7 days cost nothing — because recovery shouldn't need a new appointment
The Clinic Model
Thamel Clinic is designed around the traveler's reality: time-limited, often ill, needing care that is fast, competent, and communicative. The hospital model — long waits, complex navigation, administrative burden — does not fit the tourist who has 48 hours in Kathmandu and needs answers. Our model is the efficiency that travel medicine requires.
How a visit flows
- Walk in or book — the visit starts when you arrive
- History and exam — the assessment that drives diagnosis
- On-site diagnostics — labs in 60 minutes when possible
- Treatment plan — prescriptions, care instructions, follow-up
- Documentation — the paperwork that works for insurance and home providers
The Travel-Medicine Difference
General medicine treats the conditions that present; travel medicine anticipates the conditions travelers get. The differential diagnosis for fever in a traveler includes malaria and dengue; the GI illness has parasite differentials; the altitude symptoms have specific protocols. The specialization is not just knowledge — it is the efficiency of knowing what to look for in the patient who just arrived from abroad.
The Consultation Process
Consultation flow: the history collection (the symptoms, the timeline, the medications, the allergies), the examination (the focused physical exam), the assessment (the differential diagnosis), the testing (the lab or the imaging if needed), the treatment plan, and the follow-up recommendation.
The Follow-Up
Follow-up care: the result notification (the lab results that are communicated), the treatment monitoring (the response that is assessed), the complication management, and the home physician communication (the records for the continuity).
The Consultation Flow
Our consultation flow: the triage (the nurse who assesses the urgency), the physician consultation (the history, the examination, the assessment), the treatment plan (the prescription, the procedure, the referral), and the follow-up that is scheduled.
The Documentation
Patient documentation — the record that is maintained (the consultation notes, the results, the treatment), and the availability for the future reference or the insurance.
The Triage
Our triage process — the nurse who assesses the urgency, the priority that is assigned, and the patient who is seen based on the need.
The Documentation
Patient documentation — the record that is maintained (the consultation, the result, the treatment), and the availability for the future reference.
The Triage
Clinic triage — the urgent that is prioritized (the severity that is assessed). For the walk-in, the triage that determines the order.
The Documentation
Clinic documentation — the complete (the record that is maintained), the insurance-ready (the report that is provided), and the confidential that is kept.
The Fee Transparency
Clinic fee structure — the transparent (the quoted-before that is the policy). For the visit, the upfront that is provided.
The Value
Clinic workflow value — the efficient (the no-hidden-fee that is the standard). For the patient, the clear that is delivered.
The Fee Transparency
Clinic fee — the ~$40 consultation (the quoted-before that is the standard). For the patient, the known that is the policy.
The No-Surprise
Clinic billing — the itemized (the transparent that is the commitment). For the charged, the clear that is the trust.
How does the consultation process work?
Walk in or book — history taking and examination, any needed diagnostics (labs often on-site with 60-minute turnaround), diagnosis and treatment plan, prescriptions if needed, and follow-up scheduling. The typical consultation is 20–30 minutes plus diagnostic time. The goal is efficient, thorough care.
What makes the clinic different from a hospital?
Speed and specialization — no hospital bureaucracy, no hours-long waits, English-first communication, travel-medicine expertise, and the focus on what travelers actually need. The hospital has more equipment; we have the specific expertise and the faster process for outpatient care.
How do you handle insurance claims?
We provide claim-ready documentation — the 4-in-1 PDF containing consultation notes, itemized receipt, diagnostic reports, and insurer-formatted information. Most travel insurers reimburse our services; the documentation ensures the claim does not stall on paperwork.
What if I need care outside clinic hours?
We are open 8 AM–10 PM daily — covering most needs. For true emergencies outside these hours, contact us via WhatsApp/phone for guidance on whether to go to a hospital emergency department or wait for our opening. After-hours serious emergencies should go to hospital — the emergency department that operates 24/7.
How do you coordinate with hospitals and specialists?
For conditions beyond our scope — emergency stabilization, imaging we do not have, specialist consultation, surgery — we refer to appropriate providers with documentation and coordination. The referral is managed, not just a "go there" — we ensure the receiving provider understands the case.
