Dr. Poonkiat Suchonwanit

Dr. Poonkiat Suchonwanit is a senior orthopaedic surgeon at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok — consistently ranked among Asia's best hospitals and one of the world's most internationally experienced private healthcare institutions. With 25 years of orthopaedic surgical practice, he provides comprehensive musculoskeletal care encompassing joint replacement, spine surgery, and sports orthopaedics.

Bumrungrad International Hospital is renowned as a leading medical tourism destination, receiving over one million patients annually from more than 190 countries. Dr. Suchonwanit works within this international environment, performing orthopaedic procedures for local Thai patients and the large international patient population that chooses Bangkok for elective orthopaedic surgery — particularly joint replacement, which can be performed at Bumrungrad at a fraction of equivalent costs in the United States, United Kingdom, or Australia.

He trained at Chulalongkorn University — Thailand's premier medical institution — and completed subspecialty fellowship training in joint replacement surgery, equipping him with the technical skills and implant knowledge required for modern arthroplasty practice. He is board certified by the Royal College of Orthopaedic Surgeons of Thailand and a member of the Asia-Pacific Orthopaedic Association.

Dr. Suchonwanit completed his MD at Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine in Bangkok, before undertaking orthopaedic surgical residency in Thailand's national orthopaedic training programme. He achieved board certification with the Royal College of Orthopaedic Surgeons of Thailand. He completed a subspecialty fellowship in joint replacement surgery, with training in hip and knee arthroplasty techniques, implant selection, and perioperative care optimisation. He has undertaken additional training in spine surgery and knee arthroscopy, and regularly attends the Asia-Pacific Orthopaedic Association congresses and international joint replacement symposia to maintain contemporary practice standards.

Dr. Suchonwanit's orthopaedic practice covers three main areas: joint replacement, spine surgery, and sports orthopaedics. In joint replacement, he performs total hip replacement using anterior, posterior, and lateral approaches, and total knee replacement with conventional and computer-assisted alignment techniques. He also performs partial knee replacement for isolated medial compartment disease in selected patients.

His spine surgery practice includes lumbar discectomy for disc herniation, laminectomy for spinal stenosis, and spinal fusion for instability or spondylolisthesis. For sports injuries, he performs knee arthroscopy, ACL reconstruction, meniscal repair, and shoulder arthroscopy for rotator cuff tears and shoulder instability. Fracture fixation and trauma surgery are also within his scope at Bumrungrad's trauma service.

Bumrungrad International Hospital has one of the world's most sophisticated international patient programmes, with over 50 dedicated international patient coordinators, services in dozens of languages, and partnerships with insurers from over 100 countries. Dr. Suchonwanit consults in Thai and English and is accustomed to managing international patients through the pre-operative, operative, and post-operative continuum.

Video consultations are available for imaging review, treatment planning, and second opinions prior to a patient travelling to Bangkok. International patients seeking knee or hip replacement at Bumrungrad typically enjoy total costs (surgery, hospital stay, rehabilitation) 40-70% below equivalent costs in the USA, UK, or Australia, with outcomes data comparable to leading Western centres.

Dr. Suchonwanit is a board-certified member of the Royal College of Orthopaedic Surgeons of Thailand and a member of the Asia-Pacific Orthopaedic Association. He has received clinical excellence recognition from Bumrungrad International Hospital and has presented surgical outcomes data at regional orthopaedic congresses. His 25-year career at Bumrungrad reflects the sustained trust of both Thai and international patients and the institutional confidence of one of Asia's most demanding hospital environments.