Govt plans to turn Thailand into medical hub for foreign tourists

[webfact]

Govt plans to turn Thailand into medical hub for foreign tourists

 

BANGKOK, 13 July 2017 (NNT) – The government plans to turn Thailand into a medical hub for foreign tourists through the extension of long-stay visa for visitors. 

Deputy Prime Ministers Tanasak Patimapragon and Narong Pipatanasai held a press conference on the extension of a maximum period of 90 days for patients and followers from CLMV countries and China, and the extension of Long Stay Visa holders. 

Gen Tanasak said the government has given top priority on the promotion of medical care and wellness tourism promotion to push Thailand as a global medical hub by enhancing services at all levels of healthcare facilities, and providing special stay permit for visitors receiving medical services. 

Adm Narong said Thailand has seen an increase in the number of foreign visitors to receive medical services as Thailand provides high standard medical services, however visitors may face visa restrictions, hence the new stay allowance that now allows visitors from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and China visiting to receive medical services as well as their followers to stay in the kingdom for a maximum of 90 days. 

The allowance previously was given to medical visitors from Gulf Cooperation Council countries. 

The government is also considering extending the maximum limit for Long Stay Visa to 10 years for visitors from 14 countries, with the validity being five years when issued but can be extended for another five years. 

Meanwhile, the minister of Tourism and Sports, and the minister of Public Health assured of plans to develop Thailand's medical tourism capabilities and praised all agencies involved for implementing the Medical Hub policy.

 

-- nnt 2017-07-13

[Jessi]

Another HUB!!!!!

Thailand the Country of HUBS.

[steven100]

gemstone hub .... happy hub .....  quality tourist hub .... 

 

now medical hub        wow  !     so many hubs   !!

[ukrules]

Either I'm getting a serious case of Deja Vu or they already did this kind of 'medical hub' thing every year for the last decade.

Edited July 12, 2017 by ukrules

[inThailand]

The Hub of recycling of Hubs!

[fforest1]

This sounds like the same dumb visa that we already have a few

epic threads about here....All posters have pretty much fire bombed

this visa with napalm from squadrons of 52s.... 

 

But did anyone get the hint?.....I guess not....

 

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

I think they have a great potential to become the hub of two tier pricing medical treatment.

[Dave67]

They want to turn it into a medical hub for their own people first

[Dave67]

HUB Huge Unexpected <deleted> Rhymes with Row locks

Edited July 13, 2017 by Dave67

[Thechook]

Didnt they already claim this a few years back

[quadperfect]

No brain

[esprit]

Well I thought Thailand was already a centre for some of the best health care ?  However I have observed over the years that their support for mental health issues is no where near developed as it is for general medicine.

 

However, with their now well developed appointment to high office of the delusional and psychotics I guess now they feel they have "in-country" experience that they can now share with the world perhaps ?

[Dobredin Ghusputin]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile, the minister of Tourism and Sports, and the minister of Public Health assured of plans to develop Thailand's medical tourism capabilities and praised all agencies involved for implementing the Medical Hub policy.

 

On track to conduct 28 million lobotomies in 2017.

[inThailand]

They need to be a medical Hub to deal with the road carnage

[trd]

I've been reading this same story for many years now.

[BuckBee]

total garbage and self praise on an idea that gets pulled out as a new idea yearly. Thai hospitals are appallingly under skilled, you got more chance picking a winning lottery ticket (at 80bt) than getting lucky in getting  an experienced and competent and ethical doctor .

The long term visa is also another long term joke lol . A world class circus would be better idea as got best clowns in the world in thailand lol .

[BEVUP]

Well they have to get past Immi first who may think their coming here to perform the surgery 

[Cadbury]

2 hours ago, Jessi said:

Another HUB!!!!!

Thailand the Country of HUBS.

Not really another hub. We have had the medical hub before. This must be Medical Hub MK 11. 

Seems TAT is running out of originality and now recycling old hubs.

 

 

[clockman]

More wishful thinking? Short fall of nurses, for one. Very few English speaking,? Maybe cosmetic surgery?

[boooker]

Medical Hub towards money making machine....there are good equipment and facilitations but dont be fooled into administration cost and transparency in double pricing structure...package price what referred to be only suitable to some Doctors whom accepting the earning from it...once not you pay more.

Then staffing knowledge is sometimes average compare to western .

But manpower and golden seats can blindfold some viewers in a wakeup call once the bill arrives.

Scope of Practise and Ethical is a summary of International standards in an given SOP but less medical admin aware of their own policies.

I seen worst when it becomes to accreditation hunting season to gain such standards with severe corrupting the survey to archieve the same. Where does all of that then being integrated.

Professional of medical Foreigners knowing what is below the carpet.

And price structure is not cheap anymore compare to some other countries.Limited know how specialized field integration blinding facilitation does not mean to be patient friendly .Secondly HUB means for those whom can affort it.......where are those centers qualitative high to cover poor and middle class.Before Hubing for privat financial gains why not starting to bring the healt care scheme first into the right direction.In order to be a Hub it would need first ghe know how of fail safe acknowledgement

[williamgeorgeallen]

idiots. they just need to make the multi entry tourist visa obtainable. just show funds in the bank for the duration of the stay and grant it. 

[steven100]

How many hubs can a country have  ? 

[JSixpack]

4 hours ago, ukrules said:

Either I'm getting a serious case of Deja Vu or they already did this kind of 'medical hub' thing every year for the last decade.

 

Did they have to do it all instantly to avoid TVF Poster sneers, or can they take progressive steps over time?

 

2 hours ago, trd said:

I've been reading this same story for many years now.

 

No. This story is about the new visas in support of the medical hub goal.

 

13 minutes ago, steven100 said:

How many hubs can a country have  ? 

 

However many it wants I suppose. Did you determine an upper limit?

 

 

[AhFarangJa]

3 hours ago, Dave67 said:

They want to turn it into a medical hub for their own people first

So true Dave,

I am sure your average rice farmer in the sticks will be happy to know the government's plans when he is sitting in the local hospital all day to see a doctor for 5 minutes.

It is all about Money, nothing else. Take Bumrungrad in Bangkok......Owned by the Sophonpanich Family and Bangkok Bank........what does Bumrungrad mean.........'To nurture the people'........yeh right !!! 

[Aussie Jo]

Well then they would want to do the following:

 

1) Have doctors speak fluent English, Arabic, German or whatever language they need.  I went to a private hospital (I won't name it - Sukhumvit in Ekkamai) and the staff there had NO IDEA of how to speak English.  Luckily I can speak some basic Thai otherwise I was stuffed!

 

2) Be better qualified - my mate went to a hospital (again I won't name it - Bumrungrad) complaining of chest pains.  Got diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and they wanted to remove it immediately (cost of 300,000 baht).  He went to Australia where the doctors found NO cancer cells whatsoever BUT stated he had a mild heart attack and urgently needed a stent (had 3).

Edited July 13, 2017 by Aussie Jo

[hansnl]

The prices nowadays charged by the private hospitals are getting higher day by day.

So I presume this hubthing will get to nothing.

Hospital B

Cataract plus lens, day treatment, no room, 63,000 baht.

Shopping around in Holland prices from €800 till €1240. (30,000 till 47,000, so-called passing patients tariff)

Including intake visit, operation in day treatment, 2 control visits.

Which is not included in the price for the Thai hospital.

 

[chainarong]

4 hours ago, ukrules said:

Either I'm getting a serious case of Deja Vu or they already did this kind of 'medical hub' thing every year for the last decade.

Not quiet ukrules, the past 2 decades , they should stop talking and do something , then again that's Thailand, we're due for more B/S on the education system shortly , followed by drought.

[JSixpack]

9 minutes ago, AhFarangJa said:

So true Dave,

I am sure your average rice farmer in the sticks will be happy to know the government's plans when he is sitting in the local hospital all day to see a doctor for 5 minutes.

 

But if the nurse is a family member who has a job created by the hub program?

 

Quote

It is all about Money, nothing else.

 

It's gotta come from somewhere. Glad you got that figured out.

 

Quote

Take Bumrungrad in Bangkok......Owned by the Sophonpanich Family and Bangkok Bank........what does Bumrungrad mean.........'To nurture the people'........yeh right !!! 

 

No, Bumrungrad is a publicly traded company (BH) "owned" by all its many shareholders, and anyone can buy shares and be nurtured by dividends and capital gains. The average person in Western countries probably isn't going to be able to afford immediate care by the very best specialists at the very best private hospitals.

 

We could do without these little 99 percenter rants and misinformation.

[Cadbury]

In contrast to just about everyone else here  I have nothing but praise for the doctor (cardiologist) and hospital I go to in Bangkok. I go every three months for blood tests and a routine check up. The staff including doctor provide  exceptional service and are most polite and all speak good English. I rarely see a foreigner there. The doctor assesses me and then tells me the facts of life about my body that I don't want to hear.

 

The charges are very reasonable. For full blood test about and cardiologist consultation and assorted small hospital fees I walk out the door after paying about 2000 TBH or less. I just checked my last bill in April and it was around 1600 TBH. On that occasion the blood tests were limited to a few. 

 

[Rancid]

3 hours ago, Thechook said:

Didnt they already claim this a few years back

Yes, but as it never happened they still need to remind everyone that it will happen...perhaps one day.