Medical tourism ‘not making doctors more expensive for Thais’

[rooster59]

Medical tourism ‘not making doctors more expensive for Thais’

By The Nation

 

Dr Nattawuth

 

The Health Service Support Department (HSSD) has dismissed any suggestion that Thai patients are having to pay more for medical treatments due to the government’s Medical Tourism Policy.

 

These suggestions were based on a study conducted by the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).

 

“Medical tourism does not affect the price that Thais have to pay,” HSSD director general Dr Nattawuth Prasertsiripong insisted on Friday, adding that measures had been put in place to control the prices charged at state and private hospitals alike. 

 

As for the brain-drain problem, with talented medical practitioners leaving state hospitals for better pay at private hospitals serving foreigners, Nattawuth said the government has already addressed this issue by amending the Medical Facilities Act, which allows private medical facilities to offer educational services and training, as well as conduct research. 

 

“This means they will be able to develop their own human resources,” he said. 

 

According to Nattawuth, medical tourism is a good policy because it generates a lot of money for the economy and supports Thailand’s goal of becoming a medical hub. Thailand already holds the top spot in Asia when it comes to the number of hospitals meeting standards set by the Joint Commission International – a US-based organisation that focuses on patient safety and quality of healthcare provided in the international community. 

 

Dr Aurchat Kanjanapitak, former president of the Private Hospitals Association, also pointed out that Thai patients outnumber foreigners at all hospitals, even those that have the highest number of foreign patients. 

“Not a single private hospital has shunned a Thai patient,” he said.

He also denied that the brain-drain problem still exists, adding “the country’s medical sector is adequately staffed now”. 

 

 

Nattawuth and Aurchart were speaking after TDRI president Dr Somkiat Tangkitvanich said at a press conference earlier this week that the country needed to seriously study the impact of medical tourism. 

 

“Though it generates income for the economy, it is also causing a shortage of medical workers and increasing the price of medical care,” he said. 

 

 

At the same conference, TDRI research director Dr Viroj Naranong suggested that the Revenue Department consider collecting additional taxes from hospitals serving foreign patients and using that money to fund healthcare for Thai citizens. 

 

However, Aurchart cautioned against this idea, saying that Malaysia and Vietnam were also trying to establish themselves as medical hubs. “If medical treatment in Thailand becomes too expensive, foreign patients may just switch to other countries,” he said.

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand  2019-07-13

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[KiChakayan]

So, is saying that when I get treatment at Bumrungrad, my insurance pays 5 time the price a Thai would pay?

Obviously they seem to think that's fair. Just as Love and War...

[sammieuk1]

No not paying more means they absolutely are paying more and you don't need to see a psychologist to work that one out ????

[asiaexpat]

My families experience finds that the cost of medical treatment has increased significantly over the past three years. Special services such as CAT scan and MRI are now quit expensive as compared to three years ago.

[Sheryl]

So, is saying that when I get treatment at Bumrungrad, my insurance pays 5 time the price a Thai would pay?

Obviously they seem to think that's fair. Just as Love and War...

Thais pay the same as foreigners at Bumrungrad. There is no cheap Thai rate. Only very wealthy Thais go there.

 

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

[gamini]

7 hours ago, KiChakayan said:

So, is saying that when I get treatment at Bumrungrad, my insurance pays 5 time the price a Thai would pay?

Obviously they seem to think that's fair. Just as Love and War...

They charge exactly the same price for Thais and foreigners. 

[csmith]

Just had a cataract operation on one eye at Sriphat Hospital in Chiangmai .… Baht 78,000 .… they did an excellent job.

[Dogmatix]

It seems very obvious that medical tourist has allowed hospitals that receive medical tourists to increase fees based on the laws of supply and demand.  There is also most likely a knock-on effect that increases at private hospitals that don't get so many medical tourists since the cost of medical staff is bid up across the board. In talking to foreign fund managers the leading medical tourism hospitals sound rather confident about their ability to increase fees at a higher rate than inflation. One of the middle tier private hospitals told me that they hire the better staff from government hospitals to moonlight for them when they have finished their shifts.  This must encourage them to put in the minimum effort possible at their government hospital jobs before rushing to their private hospital jobs to earn more serious money.

 

The person who made these comments to the media knows as well as we do that they are untrue.

[Letseng]

3 hours ago, csmith said:

Just had a cataract operation on one eye at Sriphat Hospital in Chiangmai .… Baht 78,000 .… they did an excellent job.

This is the same price my husband paid in an Austrian private hospital last year. 

Where is affordable healthcare in Thailand?

 

Edited July 13, 2019 by Letseng

[JimmyTheMook]

14 minutes ago, Letseng said:

This is the same price my husband paid in an Austrian private hospital last year. 

Where is affordable healthcare in Thailand?

 

 

Or malpractice insurance?

[The Old Bull]

The price of a screw in tooth has tripped in the last few years. Eastern Europe is half the price. They compare prices to the US not to the whole world.

[hotchilli]

On 7/13/2019 at 7:58 AM, rooster59 said:

The Health Service Support Department (HSSD) has dismissed any suggestion that Thai patients are having to pay more for medical treatments due to the government’s Medical Tourism Policy.

The two tier system is working nicely !

[wilcopops]

Thai healthcare is mostly face, no patient redress, autocratic doctors, corrupt and poor training, lack of restriction on where doctors work, poorly trained nurses and auxiliaries, poor hygiene regime, absolutely no emergency services, no GP services, doctors drift from one hospital to another, private hospitals scare patients into unnecessary yet profitable check ups, patient records, are almost unheard of, many staff especially admin are simply incompetent, image overrides medical needs at every turn, ethics range from questionable to non-existent.

The entire system is so riddled with incompetence and corruption it needs a total rebuild from the ground up

Edited July 14, 2019 by wilcopops

[Sheryl]

16 hours ago, Letseng said:

This is the same price my husband paid in an Austrian private hospital last year. 

Where is affordable healthcare in Thailand?

 

 

At government hospitals.

 

But long waits, lots of red tape, not at all easy to access if you don't speak Thai.

[transam]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

 

At government hospitals.

 

But long waits, lots of red tape, not at all easy to access if you don't speak Thai.

Yep, it took me a total of 9 hours to register and go through a lot of stuff to see the guy I wanted to talk to at the Queens hozzy in Khon Kaen....I nearly gave up but in the end it was worth it....

[BritManToo]

20 hours ago, csmith said:

Just had a cataract operation on one eye at Sriphat Hospital in Chiangmai .… Baht 78,000 .… they did an excellent job.

Sriphat aka Maharaj aka Suan Doc is no longer a cheap hospital for foreigners.

Had a quote for a broken hip from them last week 200,000Bht, Nakorn Ping price 30,000bht.

Edited July 14, 2019 by BritManToo

[transam]

21 hours ago, csmith said:

Just had a cataract operation on one eye at Sriphat Hospital in Chiangmai .… Baht 78,000 .… they did an excellent job.

I had both done over a 5 week period, one on 27th Dec 2018 the other 4th Feb 2019.

Total cost for both eyes 38,000bht..

[wilcopops]

Cateracts are ultra simple operations that can be carried out, in remote field hospitals if needed .... cost around 5000 baht

Edited July 14, 2019 by wilcopops

[Sheryl]

43 minutes ago, wilcopops said:

Cateracts are ultra simple operations that can be carried out, in remote field hospitals if needed .... cost around 5000 baht

 

Does not cost 5000 baht anywhere that I know of, that is less than half the cost of the artifical lends that gets implanted so quite impossible to do it for that little.

 

In a government hospital, and if a standard lens used, around 20K per eye.

 

And while it could be done in a remote field hospital if there were no other choice and the patient otherwise functionally blind it is best done using equipment not available in such settings. And, of course, needs a specialist.

[Letseng]

6 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

At government hospitals.

 

But long waits, lots of red tape, not at all easy to access if you don't speak Thai.

I'm registered with Chula. But unless I have Thai speaker with me I get nowhere in this hospital. Doctors speak English, no other staff does.

[Letseng]

1 hour ago, wilcopops said:

Cateracts are ultra simple operations that can be carried out, in remote field hospitals if needed .... cost around 5000 baht

There are different techniques of doing it.  Not every cataract is the same and "ultra simple".

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by Letseng

[uhuh]

On 7/13/2019 at 3:13 PM, Sheryl said:

Thais pay the same as foreigners at Bumrungrad. There is no cheap Thai rate. Only very wealthy Thais go there.

 

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

The hospital may charge the same. 

But the doctor's fee is up to the doctor who may charge a Thai 50%.

Thai's may stay in a cheaper 4-bed room,  most foreigners don't even know these rooms exist. 

 

I have sent several poor and middle class Thais to Bumrungrad.  They were all reluctant to go there but after paying that didn't find it too expensive. A neighborhood clinic may charge the same.

They did stick out, though.

[wilcopops]

8 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

Does not cost 5000 baht anywhere that I know of, that is less than half the cost of the artifical lends that gets implanted so quite impossible to do it for that little.

 

In a government hospital, and if a standard lens used, around 20K per eye.

 

And while it could be done in a remote field hospital if there were no other choice and the patient otherwise functionally blind it is best done using equipment not available in such settings. And, of course, needs a specialist.

As said a simple operation and the cost is about 5000 baht.....you may well be charged more.....

 

You needare too update your info......starting about 30 years back

[Sheryl]

9 hours ago, wilcopops said:

As said a simple operation and the cost is about 5000 baht.....you may well be charged more.....
 
You needare too update your info......starting about 30 years back

Please name a single place in Thailand where the cost is 5000 baht.

There is none unless you are referring to people covered under SS or the "30 baht" scheme who do not pay for the surgery.

The age of manual excision of cataracts is long over. They are removed using phacoemulsion or laser both of which require specialized equipment...and are safer/get better results than the manual excisions of old.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

[transam]

7 hours ago, wilcopops said:

As said a simple operation and the cost is about 5000 baht.....you may well be charged more.....

 

You needare too update your info......starting about 30 years back

Think you are talking out your ass...????

[cheeryble]

Just had a cataract operation on one eye at Sriphat Hospital in Chiangmai .… Baht 78,000 .… they did an excellent job.

If I’m not mistaken you paid for a very expensive multi focal lens.
Anyone reading this should be aware a simple lens is vastly cheaper, and according to a friend of mine who has one of each, preferable


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[cheeryble]

 

You needare too update your info......starting about 30 years back

 

D'you think your gratuitous and Trumpian level of comment will help keep Sheryl here where she does so much good for so many people? Correcting misinformation is important on this forum, no need to be upset by it.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Airbagwill]

On 7/18/2019 at 12:39 AM, cheeryble said:

 

D'you think your gratuitous and Trumpian level of comment will help keep Sheryl here where she does so much good for so many people? Correcting misinformation is important on this forum, no need to be upset by it.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

On 7/15/2019 at 10:16 AM, Sheryl said:

Please name a single place in Thailand where the cost is 5000 baht.

There is none unless you are referring to people covered under SS or the "30 baht" scheme who do not pay for the surgery.

The age of manual excision of cataracts is long over. They are removed using phacoemulsion or laser both of which require specialized equipment...and are safer/get better results than the manual excisions of old.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

The cost EVERYWHERE is about that - how much they charge is up to them.

[uhuh]

Marginal cost  (ie the cost to do one more procedure if you already have the equipment in place) is very low, indeed. 

Average cost (includes depreciation of equipment, cost for facilities etc) is not so low. 

What they charge is up to them.

[Sheryl]

7 hours ago, uhuh said:

Marginal cost  (ie the cost to do one more procedure if you already have the equipment in place) is very low, indeed. 

Average cost (includes depreciation of equipment, cost for facilities etc) is not so low. 

What they charge is up to them.

 

However marginal cost inclusive of the lens cost is over 5000 baht.