A government panel has announced a plan to present Thailand as a global medical tourism destination, starting with four southern provinces.
The panel agreed to implement five medical and health objectives, including:
- Making Thailand home to medical schools following an international medical curriculum, as well those involving traditional and alternative medicines.
- Launching a wellness industry under a ‘green medicine and creative economy’ model highlighting the recreational use of cannabis and other traditional herbs.
- To globalise Thailand’s cannabis metaverse by making a business model, a ‘cannabis digital asset’, which will allow people to access cannabis businesses via virtual reality technology.
The other two objectives may be more based in potential medium term reality rather than longer term optimism, but are still very optimistic:
- Launching an Andaman Wellness Corridor where four southern provinces will provide specialist medical services such as transgender operations, complex ailment treatments, and top-tier hot springs.
- Listing and promoting local super centres. The panel will prepare a list of high-potential hospitals to propose to the cabinet and establish Udonthani Cancer Hospital alongside international universities.
The panel will assign the Department of Health Services Support and other divisions to plan the marketing, medical and research aspects. The panel will also support local participation by providing instructional courses to locals on medical history and culture to attract tourists.