More foreigners are seeking medical treatment in Thailand each year, with 2012 expecting to see 2.53 million foreign patients generating Bt121.6 billion in income. Most popular treatments are for orthopedics, heart surgery, cosmetic surgery and dental work.
More foreigners are seeking medical treatment in Thailand each year, with 2012 expecting to see 2.53 million foreign patients generating Bt121.6 billion in income. Most popular treatments are for orthopedics, heart surgery, cosmetic surgery and dental work.
Department of Health Service Support chief Somchai Pinyopornpanich reported the growing trend – 1.37 million foreigners in 2007 generated Bt41 billion; 1.38 million in 2008, Bt50.9 billion; 1.39 million in 2009, Bt63.3 billion; 1.98 million in 2010, Bt78.7 billion; and 2.24 million in 2011 generated Bt97.8 billion. The top five countries were Japan, USA, UK, Middle East and Australia.
Somchai said the three main groups of foreigners seeking medical treatment were – foreign residents (41.4 per cent), tourists who use some medical services during their stay (32 per cent), and visitors seeking specific medical treatments here (26.6 per cent). He said a medical hub campaign (focusing on medical treatment, Thai spa, Thai traditional medicine and Thai herbs) would improve Thai medical services in general.
Previously, both the health and tourism bodies have stuck firmly to much higher figures, and not even admitted what local doctor bodies argued, that at least 30% of ‘medical tourists’ were expatriates or holidaymakers.
The long used figures from The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Department of Export Promotion (DEP) for the number of medical tourists to Thailand, with no source given for the figures, other than ‘reliable estimates’ were as follows:
• 2001 550,161
• 2002 630000
• 2003 973000
• 2004 1 million
• 2005 1.25 million
• 2006 1.45 million
• 2007 1,373,807
• 2008 1.3 million
• 2009 1.2 million
• 2010 1.5 million estimate
• 2011 1.5 million estimate
These new figures are interesting as they are the first official confirmation of what many in the medical tourism industry have argued, and others have denied, that most “ medical tourists’ are actually expatriates resident in Thailand or holidaymakers. There are still concerns that even the new figures are inflated by including outpatient use such as use of hospital pharmacies.
Applying 26.6% to the figures for 2007 to 2011, and rounding them up, as we do not know how the % varies over time, this for the first time gives us a more accurate view of actual medical tourists;
• 2007 365,000
• 2008 367,000
• 2009 370,000
• 2010 527, 000
• 2011 596, 000
• 2012 673, 000
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