| While Thailand is known as the "Land of Smiles" it | | | | medical establishment saw its potential as a |
| is in effect much more than this. It combines third | | | | money earner. The private hospitals began to |
| world pricing with first world standards of service. | | | | ensure that their staff had good language skills, |
| This applies especially in medical care. Long before | | | | especially in English, and also began to invest in |
| the term "Medical Tourism" was coined, tourists | | | | 'high tech' equipment and medical procedures. |
| were discovering the high level of service and | | | | Most of these private hospitals now have facilities |
| care in Thai hospitals. | | | | that equal if not surpass five star hotels, and all |
| Many countries in Asia now style themselves as | | | | are multilingual. As a result of all this investment, |
| 'Medical Tourist Centers', but the difference | | | | over 600,000 foreign tourists came to Thailand |
| between them and Thailand is that those | | | | for medical treatment last year. |
| countries are now seeing an opening in a growing | | | | The medical tourism market began with the |
| market and setting up facilities to fill that market, | | | | simple things. Medical check ups at a fraction of |
| while here in Thailand the market grew organically. | | | | the cost in the USA and Europe, with the results |
| Private hospitals, clinics and health spa's were | | | | of the tests provided on the same day. Elective |
| developed over the years in response to tourist | | | | medical procedures and dentistry and eye |
| needs and in turn the tourists discovered that the | | | | treatment, again at a fraction of the cost but |
| Thai values and traditions made the services | | | | now caters for all medical procedures up to and |
| provided in these centers much superior to what | | | | including life saving procedures like heart surgery. |
| they were used to back home, and at a fraction | | | | To be a success medical tourism needs a number |
| of the cost. | | | | of factors. |
| Medical care in Thailand is equal to and in some | | | | 1. It has to be inexpensive in comparison with the |
| cases superior to that in the western world. A lot | | | | tourists home country. |
| of Thai doctors, surgeons, dentists, orthodontists | | | | 2. It has to be of an equal medical standard. |
| and therapists have had some or all of their | | | | 3. It should ideally provide better service and |
| training in Europe and the USA. All the private | | | | provide something other than the medical factor, |
| hospitals in Thailand (and there are more than 400 | | | | that is usually sun sand and sea. |
| such) operate to ISO standards. Unlike western | | | | 4. Waiting should NOT be a factor. |
| hospitals, where patients are treated as 'clients', in | | | | Thailand fulfills and exceeds all these criteria and is |
| Thai hospitals patients are considered as 'guests' | | | | a brilliant holiday as well. |
| and treated as such. | | | | Interested in this subject? |
| Over the years, as this medical market grew, the | | | | |