Medical tourism gaining momentum for price and quality

Medical tourism is becoming a strong selling point for Thailand because Thai services have international standards but are cheaper than in other countries, especially in neighbouring countries like Singapore and Malaysia.

The good exchange rates between the Thai baht and the US dollar or euro make medical treatment an outstanding value-for-money service for foreign patients, said Zadok Lempert, president of Medico Management & Travel Services International Co.

For example, average treatment costs in Singapore are 5-20% higher than in Thailand, he said.

"Cheaper medical costs mean family members and friends will have more money to accompany the patient. They can find accommodations near the hospital. At the same time, they can afford to visit many tourist attractions while staying here," he said.

Thailand is well known for its warm and generous hospitality in addition to its world-class medical community and modern facilities.

Medical tourism is not only focusing on Bangkok but also other areas with a high concentration of foreign tourists, such as Pattaya, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Samui and Phuket.

However, Dr Lempert said Thai medical tourism lacked good marketing and promotion as co-operation with tour agents was limited and commissions for agents have not been settled.

"Tour agents view that 3-6% commission rates offered by hospitals are too low while hospitals are confident that they already have their own markets and need not depend much on tour agents," he said. "Today, only six to eight hospitals in Thailand are serious about medical tourism but the number should increase in the future."

Language skills of hospital staff are another obstacle, he added.

Dr Lempert forecast that 1.4 million foreigners would visit Thailand for treatment this year, up from 1.2 million last year. Popular treatments are hip and knee operations, cosmetic surgery and dental services.

Community-based tourism is also catching on among foreign visitors who are concerned over sustainable development, said Peter Richards, marketing support and development co-ordinator of the Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute (CBT-I).

"It's a new kind of tourism, which takes environmental, social and cultural sustainability into account. It's managed and owned by the community with the purpose of enabling visitors to increase social awareness and learn about local way of life," he said.

CBT-I has developed projects in 50 communities in 10 provinces.

Mr Richards expected the number of visitors participating in the community-based tourism would increase even though costs are 20% higher than for regular tour programmes.