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Millennium
Asean Asian Medical Tourism 2008 :Conference &
Exhibition 2008 : Together for Health 2008
- A Strategic Approach for the Asean Asian
Countries..Destination Medical Tourism Thailand
This Millennium 1st edition Conference &
Exhibition 2008 in collaboration with
ASEAN FOCUS:
Destination
Medical Tourism Thailand:
Thailand which made its name as a medical
destination in the 1970's offers top-quality
medical care, extremely low cost and a free trip
to the beach.
Open-heart surgery, which costs about $7,000 at
Bumrungrad, rather than the tens of thousands of
dollars it might cost in the United States. An
outpatient consultation is generally less than
$10. A complete cardiac examination, including a
full range of tests, costs about $100. The
average hospital bed costs $50 a night.
Thailand is known for sex-change operations
known more formally as gender reassignment
surgery, or G.R.S. and a favourite place for
people who want to look like Bo Derek. Thailand
has turned to what it calls comprehensive
medical tourism, offering services that range
from dental care to cancer treatments.
Thai Chamber of Commerce has established its own
health-care promotion agency. The key to this
new promotion is the high level of medical care
that has emerged here in the past decade or two.
The top private hospitals in Bangkok boast
foreign-trained and certified doctors and modern
medical equipment. They offer an inexpensive
alternative to visitors who may need procedures
not covered by health insurance or who live in
countries with long waiting lists for national
health care.
"We thought, listen, we have really excellent
medical facilities here and we have excellent
holidays," said Teerapol Chotichanapibal,
director of Royal Orchid Holidays. "If you can
come and get a clean bill of health and then go
and enjoy your holiday, what could be better?"
So, in Royal Orchid's glossy "Discover Thailand"
brochure, a traveler can choose from options
that include a performance of classical dance, a
visit to the River Kwai, a Thai cooking class or
a seven-hour "Comprehensive Health Examination
for Women or Men."
"They'll come for hip replacement or knee
replacement or cataracts and, yup, while they're
here they'll take a vacation," said Ruben Toral,
director of international programs at Bumrungrad
Hospital in Bangkok. "They get their cosmetic
surgery or their dental work and, boom, they're
off to the beach."
On its Web site, Bumrungrad describes the
procedures it offers, then adds: "Many Bangkok
G.R.S. Center patients extend their visits to
include the many sites of Thailand including
Bangkok, the northern hilltribe areas of Chiang
Mai/Chiang Rai and the beautiful southern
islands of Phuket and Koh Samui."
Or it is possible to go directly to Phuket, one
of Thailand's premier beach resorts, and check
in to the Phuket International Hospital, which
advertises, "Bright sun, blue sea, cosmetic
surgery."
Curtis J. Schroeder, an American who is
Bumrungrad's chief executive officer, said
225,000 foreigners visited the hospital last
year, about half of whom live in Thailand.
Americans made up 29,000 of the outpatients and
more than 30,000 of the inpatients, he said.
With its 554 beds, air of luxury and aggressive
marketing, Bumrungrad now dominates Thailand's
medical tourism industry and has almost
single-handedly shifted the regional hub for
medical care from Singapore.
Though two-thirds of its patients are Thais, the
hospital caters to foreigners with a concierge
service that handles such things as airport
transportation, bank transactions, visas and
airline tickets.
Since Sept. 11, Mr. Schroeder said, there has
been a flood of Middle Eastern patients who now
avoid the United States for fear of
discrimination. In response, the hospital has
hired extra Arabic interpreters, stocked up on
Muslim prayer rugs and opened a kitchen serving
religiously acceptable halal food.
Bumrungrad has made a deliberate effort not to
look or smell like a hospital, softening its
decor and filtering its air. Its gigantic,
carpeted lobby with deep sofas, potted trees and
a blonde-wood reception desk has the look of an
expensive hotel.
As much as anything, it is the Starbucks coffee
shop that draws comment, along with the
McDonald's, the Au Bon Pain, the Japanese
restaurant and the mezzanine food court. A
bed-ridden patient can order from any of these
outlets through room service.
Thailand is now treating about one million
patients from countries such as Japan,
Bangladesh, Indonesia, China and the U.S.,
generating close to $ one billion in revenue.
Apart from the U.S., where procedures and
hospitalization typically cost four to 10 times
as much, patients come from developed countries
in Europe. Australians, come mostly for cosmetic
surgery which are often combined with a
conventional vacation. (special
correspondent from asean focus)
<Malaysia
Citynews> <Oman
Citynews> |
