Medical travel soars
Moves to make Thailand one of Asia's top medical hubs have gone well, with a more than 50-per-cent annual increase in the number of foreigners using health services here.
This had enabled the country to earn nearly Bt30 billion in revenue, a senior official said yesterday.Health Service Support Department director-general Supachai Kunarattanapreuk said the project, begun in 2003, had yielded a satisfactory result, with about one million foreigners now using medical services in Thailand each year. The most popular services among foreigners were: hi-tech surgery for chronic illnesses such as heart operations, cosmetic surgery and dental services, Supachai said. Japanese were the largest group of customers followed by Americans, Britons, Taiwanese and other Asian nationals, he said. The key draws were no long waits for surgery and cheaper prices for quality service. A dental implant, for example, would cost up to Bt100,000 in America but was priced at about Bt40,000 here, he said. Currently, Thailand ranked second for medical services in Asia after India, Supachai said. India had the upper hand on new technology, medical personnel and prices, he said, but Thailand remained competitive with other good post-treatment packages at hospitals, tour programmes, spa and Thai massage services.
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