Bangkok :
Thailand’s health authorities say more Cambodians will use Thailand’s hospitals services once the ASEAN Economic Community begins in late 2015.
Ministry of Public Health made the comments, last week at a seminar on health services, attended by medical staff working in provinces bordering Cambodia. The conclusion suggested there would be a boom in Cambodians seeking medical services in Thailand. They would cross the border at overland checkpoints and check-in the larger hospitals operating out of provincial capitals.
Officials suggested that AEC would prompt a growth in medical tourism from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar once the new era of free trade kicks in December 2015.
The borders are already open for residents in neighbouring countries to visit Thailand for medical services, but most of them are wealthy and head for private hospitals in the Thai capital.
But the seminar concluded there were business opportunities for private hospitals in provinces bordering Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. Government hospitals are not encouraged to go into the lucrative regional medical tourism business as they are already overcrowded looking after citizens seeking medical care.
According to Public Health Minister, Pradit Sinthawanarong, 370 medical staff from Surin, Buriram, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani provinces and 400 medical representatives from Cambodia participated in the meeting where they listened to the Public Health Department’s policy on AEC and medical practice.
Thai hospitals situated near the Thai-Cambodian border would need to achieve high standards of safety, medical technology and service if they wished to serve medical tourists from Cambodia.
There are currently 152 hospitals in Thailand that have met the requirements that would allow them to serve the market. However, many of them are already overcrowded dealing with local cases and are not geared to treating foreigners. Language is the main drawback for hospitals when dealing with medical tourists from Cambodia.
Last year, there were over 2 million medical tourists who sought treatment in Thailand.
Meanwhile, Malaysia is already promoting its medical services in Cambodia competing head-on with Thailand’s top hospitals.
Cambodia Association of Travel Agents president, Ang Kim Eang, said earlier that Malaysia was becoming a popular tourism destination for Cambodians. The nearest tourism office is in Bangkok, but promotions in Cambodia are conducted directly by the Malaysia Tourism head office in Kuala Lumpur.
Actually, about 50,000 Cambodians visit Malaysia annually and some of them go for a medical check-up, he said.
“Now, the Malaysian government sees the need to promote this travel segment, I definitely think more people will go there for medical treatment as it competitive with prices in Singapore and Thailand.”
Malaysian hospital fees are 25% below the United States, although Thailand is slightly lower at 30% off the same benchmark, Singapore 35% and India 20%, according to Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council.
source: http://www.ttrweekly.com / TTR Weekly / Home> News> Thailand / by Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit / August 26th, 2013
