Advertorial The current state of Thailand's medical tourism industry

[ASEAN NOW Sales]

 

Thailand is slowly but surely climbing up the charts for its medical tourism on an international scale. But, wonder what medical tourism is? Medical tourism can be described as the process of traveling outside your home country to receive medical care. And many Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore have been ramping up efforts to attract more foreigners for medical treatments over the past few years.

 

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said, "Thailand aims to lure more foreign visitors in the post-Covid period by promoting itself as a medical tourism hub, building on its good track record of handling the pandemic." Thanks to our friends at Pacific Prime Thailand, we will get to take a closer look at the current state of Thailand's medical tourism industry.

 

Medical tourism in Thailand

 

The number of medical tourists visiting Thailand has been steadily increasing since the early 2000s. The main reasons that have enabled Thailand to dominate medical tourism are:

 

1. Cost-effective medical treatments
2. High-quality services provided by private medical centers, and
3. The highly developed tourism industry

 

The healthcare system in Thailand

 

The country has more than 10,000 hospitals, of which 470 are private facilities. Thailand takes pride in having the most significant number of private hospitals in Asia and having the first Asian hospital to receive the ISO 9001 certification and JCI accreditation. Undoubtedly, Thailand's medical tourism industry is driven by private hospitals. In addition, Thai doctors prefer working in international hospitals as they can earn 70 percent more than in public hospitals.

 

Well-known Thai hospitals for foreign patients

 

Bumrungrad International

 

Bumrungrad Hospital has helped treat 520,000 international patients from 190 countries with excellent facilities for foreign medical tourists as of 2022. The global hospital has over 1,200 doctors with international training or board certification, including 200 certified by the US board.

 

Bangkok Hospital Group

 

The Bangkok Hospital Group is known for its overseas patient services. The Hospital Group has an extensive network of 15 hospitals spread across Thailand. The Bangkok Hospital Group also has an international medical center that caters especially to medical tourists and is staffed with multilingual interpreters. The hospital even has a Japanese wing with Japanese interpreters.

 

Samitivej Hospitals

 

The most famous international hospital chain in Thailand, Samitivej Hospitals are known for its world-class healthcare facilities. Samitivej Hospitals are equipped with advanced medical tech that is generally found in European and North American hospitals.

 

Common treatments among medical tourists in Thailand

 

The reasons why medical tourists come to Thailand vary from dental treatments to cardiac procedures. Here is a list of some of the popular treatments:

 

●     Cosmetic surgeries

●     Dental procedures

●     Medical check-ups

●     Cardiac procedures

●     Orthopedic treatment

●     Infertility treatment

●     Bariatric surgery

●     Eye surgeries

 

Cons of getting medical treatment in Thailand

 

Thailand lacks a primary healthcare system (General Practitioner (GP) service)

 

Even though Thailand has US and UK-trained doctors, most of them are specialists. When it comes to minor ailments or several medical problems, a specialist may find it difficult to pinpoint.

 

Doctors are sometimes employed partime

 

Physicians and surgeons in various specialties work in different hospitals. In addition, they juggle schedules between hospitals across Thailand. So, reviewing their schedule in advance is a good idea, especially if you need to get a proper consultation before paying the bills.

 

Lack of proper and different channels of emergency transport facilities

 

Most hospitals in Thailand have ambulance services, there are ambulance services run by volunteer services and charities. Most people travel in their own vehicles as it can take a while for ambulances to show up. However, there is a system in place to call for an ambulance, but don't expect the level seen in countries/locations like the UK, France, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.

 

Secure international health insurance with Pacific Prime

 

Whether you are considering getting a procedure done in Thailand or another country, it's good to have a comprehensive health insurance plan. Choosing the right international health insurance can be tricky, but insurance experts at Pacific Prime Thailand can find plans that meet your budget and requirement.

 

Get in touch with Pacific Prime Thailand for a FREE quote today!