Category Archives: Medical Tourism/Health Tourism

The boom in the medical tourism industry has made significant contribution to the emergence of India as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. According to an analysis by industry experts, medical tourism in India is expected to generate nearly .2 billion dollars revenue annually in the next two years. The secret behind the success of medical tourism lies in the fact that India has quality healthcare system-state-of-the-art hospitals, latest technology, qualified and well-trained doctors, skilled medical staffs, cheap medical costs and an incredible places of tourist-attractions.

The concept of ‘medical treatment’ sells hot among tourists from developing countries like US, UK, Germany, Canada, Japan and more. The costs of conventional method of healthcare treatment in these countries are expensive and lackluster and these factors taken together have led to the success of medical tourism in developing countries.

Accessing medical treatments in developing countries are attached with a string of long waits, frantic searches for good doctors and spiraling hospital bills. Statistically speaking, the total costs of a hip replacement surgery in US costs ,000 where as the same surgical procedure under the same quality healthcare facilities would cost a mere ,500 in India. The difference in these figures says all-the main reason behind the high turnout of medical tourists in Asian countries like India, Thailand, and Singapore et al is due to cheap medical costs.

Besides, medical tourism benefits two industry at one time-the tourism industry as well as healthcare industry. The Indian tourism industry in itself attracts high number of foreign tourists every year; it is rated among the top 5 favorite destinations from the 134 countries surveyed by Lonely Planet. As a result, medical tourism not only promises a health bound travel but, it also offer a package coupled with a vacation, wellness and rejuvenation.

In the world of bio-medical science, Indian doctors are renowned in the world for their expertise in coronary bypass, heart surgery, dental care, cosmetic surgery and traditional alternative care like Ayurveda. Kidney transplantation or renal transplantation is a common surgical procedure among international medical tourists in India. The uncontrollable rise in the occurrence of diabetes among large section population has led to a high rate of kidney failure cases. The average cost for a kidney transplant surgery in the US may range between ,000 to ,000 where as the cost of kidney Transplant India or Hip Replacement India may be just the half.

In addition, the Indian medical tourism industry also witnesses an increasing number of medical tourists in the field of dentistry. Some of the most common medical treatments among medical tourists include-alternative medicine, bone-marrow transplant, cardiac bypass, eye surgery and hip replacement. The low cost of medical treatments and high-quality healthcare coupled with a vibrant culture and rich heritage makes India a no.1 choice among medical tourists all over the world.

In health care sectors and tourism of Thailand, medical tourism is a ever growing concept. According to an investigation the country had earned a revenue of 36.4 billion baht in the year 2006. The investigators told that one Bangkok hospital took in 150,000 treatment seekers from abroad in the year 2005. Certainly it makes a country rich when it earns revenue from people outside their own country. So every country try their best to provide with world class facilities while treating foreign people.

India and Thailand are the two nations which are well known for their awesome hospitality while treating people from abroad. Thailand is a country of peace and provide everything from organ transplants to cardiac surgery at a price much lower than the US or Europe and they do this in a safe and clean environment. People from western countries dont get much care when they are admitted to local hospitals while foreigners getting treatment from Thailand hospitals get more personalized and higher level of nursing. One may say this is quite natural as when you get more money, you care more. Treating patients from abroad fetch more money to Thailand government than the local community of Thailand. As a result medical tourism facilites are growing to proffessional level in Thailand. Infact all developing countires would like this medical tourism concept.

According to one patient who went for a coronary artery bypass surgery in Bumrungrad International hospital in Bangkok(Thailand), it just cost him ,000 as opposed to the 0,000 (68,000 euros) he estimated the operation would have cost him at home. Some other Asians also think that hosiptals are also a popular destinations for them. A group of Hospitals in Thailand better known as ‘Phyathai Hospitals Group’ has staff comprising of medical experts in 23 languages other than the English speaking medical staff that caters to medical tourists. One of the Bangkok Hospital has a Japanese wing also. In 2006 When Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala needed medical care, he went to Bangkok.

There is another very popular Thai hospital known by the name Bumrungrad International. In 2005 this hospital was awarded and accredited for ensuring an international standard of medical services. Most of the doctors and medical staff in this hospital have got the training from UK, Europe and the US and many Thai physicians hold US or UK professional certification. Perhaps the most advanced and internationalized of Thailand’s private hospital. Coming here can seem like a visit to a five star hotel and the United Nations all in one. Although comparatively expensive for Thais, the hospital gets many foreign visitors in search of high quality health care at reasonable

cost as a part of their medical tourism.

Today several Thai hospitals have relationships with educational facilities in the US and UK (for example, Sheffield Hallam University has links with Bangkok}. The US Consular information sheet gives the Thai health care system high marks for quality, particularly facilities in Bangkok, although the World Health Organization ranks the Thai healthcare system at number 47, which is below the USA’s ranking at 37 and the United Kingdom’s ranking at 18. The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office web site states “There are excellent international hospitals in Bangkok but they can be expensive”.

While a very small percentage of Thai are internationally accredited, there are a growing number of hospitals with Joint Commission accreditation. Again, international hospital accreditation may be one way for hospitals to demonstrate their worth, and increasingly Thai hospitals competing for business in this sector may need to expand their international accreditation, including looking towards other international healthcare accreditation schemes sourced outwith of the US, to augment their appeal if they are to remain competitive.

Are you ready to recapture it? Afforadable and Safe Plastic Surgery in Bangkok’s Best Hospitals and Performed By American Board Certified Doctors. Combine Your Medical Needs, Dentistry, and Plastic Surgery Desires With an Exotic Vacation to the Land of Smiles!