Medical Tourism in Thailand

The choice of destination for a vacation is made for a variety of reasons: the ease of getting there, the availability of accommodations, the climate, the expense, and the prospect of experiencing new sights and sounds. The availability of high quality medical care is rarely a factor that is considered.

Gerry Legault* assumed that his month-long vacation touring Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand was going to be full of exotic scenery, welcoming people, and delicious food. He was not disappointed; it was just as exciting and rewarding as he had hoped. That was until he decided to explore the countryside of Cambodia. He rented a motorbike, and started on his way. A narrow road, a wet surface, and a truck braking unexpectedly were all factors in Legault's accident. He swerved, he braked, and he flew, somersaulting over the handlebars and landing on the less-than-welcoming surface of a paved road. Fortunately, he had been provided with a crash helmet and sustained no injury to his head. Legault's left shoulder and right knee were not so fortunate. He was taken to a hospital, where examination and x-rays showed the extent of his injuries. Luckily, the hospital was one of a group associated with a major medical center in Bangkok, and within a few hours he was air-evacuated to Thailand. He was admitted to the Bangkok Hospital, and taken to the operating room, where his shoulder and leg fractures were adjusted and fixed with metal plates.

Alan Gilbert* was another traveler who did not concern himself with the availability of medical care before coming to Thailand for a long winter break. Whether there was a quality cardiac center in Bangkok was of very little concern to him. He was not planning to have a heart attack during his vacation, but that was what happened. When he experienced intense chest pain in his hotel room in Bangkok he asked for help and was admitted to the Bangkok Hospital where he was assessed, diagnosed, and successfully treated in the cardiac unit.

In addition to famously friendly, polite people – many of whom speak English – and great weather, beautiful scenery, and accommodations to suit every taste and budget, the medical facilities in Thailand are among the best in Asia and can compare very favorably with those in Western countries. In some areas they exceed those found in the West. All patients have single rooms; for those with families who wish to stay with them, suites with an attached sitting room and kitchen facilities are available. Foreigners constantly comment that the rooms are far superior to those in their own countries, being more like those found in hotels than hospitals. The standard of hygiene is exemplary, and this is reflected in the low infection rates, a major problem in many Western countries. Medical care is of an international standard. Several Thai hospitals have sought accreditation by the Joint Commission International (JCI), an offshoot of the American organization JCAHO that inspects and approves the standards of hospitals in the United States. Many Thai doctors have spent time training in North American medical centers and have brought the expertise and attitudes that they have learned in this training back to Thailand. The level of English in the international units is excellent. The equipment and technology is state-of-the-art, and, in the major centers, exceeds that in many Western hospitals. Innovative programs in stem cell therapy for cardiac conditions are being pioneered in Bangkok. The level of the nursing care is first class; nursing is a very well respected profession in Thailand which, unlike many other countries, does not need to import nurses to staff its hospitals. The ratio of nurses to patients is very high, and Westerners frequently comment on how speedily their calls are answered.

In recent years, an increasingly large number of people have been deliberately seeking healthcare in countries other than their own. At the present time in Canada, a patient who needs to have a joint replacement can wait for a year before this can be performed. A year is a long time to wait if you are having difficulty walking. The waiting time for some cardiac and eye surgery is almost as long. The attraction of coming to Thailand is that you can experience the type of care that is described earlier, and there are no waiting lists. Patients can choose the week and sometimes the day of surgery. The cost, even after factoring in the expense of travel, is much less than if care were sought in the United States, or privately in Canada. Hospitals have also forged relationships with all the major insurance providers, and therefore can confirm a patient's coverage, and in many cases, arrange direct payment.

There are a few precautions that you should take when traveling abroad.

Finally, back to Thailand … it is a wonderful place to recuperate. I myself had a hip replacement in Bangkok. After leaving the hospital I went to an island in the Gulf of Thailand, ate great Thai food, lay on the beach, swam in the pool, and had great massages – rehabilitation, Thai-style!

*not his real name

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