The Public Health Ministry faced 519 complaints against private medical outlets last year

Consumers lodged 519 complaints against private medical outlets with the Public Health Ministry last year.

Caretaker Deputy Public Health Minister Anuthin Charnweerakul (อนุทิน ชาญวีระกุล) said most of the complaints were about doctors and the medical care centers operating without licences.

Mr. Anuthin asked the people not to think that doctors could always save every life to help reduce the number of complaints.

Mr. Anuthin said clinics and hospitals in Thailand have focused too much on maintaining good services but paid little attention to development of technology and medicine and that could make foreign patients go somewhere else.

About 63,000 foreigners came for medical care in Thailand last year, generating income worth 32 billion baht, he said.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 06 June 2006

Maybe I am naive, but I doubt that there were too many complaints about the 'bigger' more well known hospitals -Bumrungrad, BNH or Samitivej for example. Most, if not all medical tourists would end up there rather than the local clinics.