Head Of Hospital Group Warns Of Doctor Shortage In Thailand

Nevertheless Thailand is promoting itself as a medical tourism hub and at the same time is refusing to honour its commitment to the AEC to allow free inflow of ASEAN medical workers by 2015. They still insist that foreign doctors and nurses must pass exams in Thai to treat the foreign medical tourists who cannot speak Thai. Duh.

Why is that strange? Even if the imported medical workers would have excellent English, surely there will be countless situations every day where they will have to communicate with local Thais, who no doubt make up the vast majority of staff and have dubious English skills.

Coupled with the pervasive habit of most Thais to nod in full understanding when they are not really sure whether you asked how much the broccoli costs or whether they'd like to go swimming with you later, I can't say I'd feel too safe with a doctor from Singapore instructing in English a local Thai nurse to give me a certain kind of medicine in specific doses at specific times. Nor would I feel much safer if the doctor was Thai and he was instructing a nurse from Singapore, for that matter.