Thailand

Wat Arun across Chao Phraya River, Bangkok

Although it now shares the spotlight with India, Singapore, and Malaysia, the Kingdom of Thailand is the rightful wellspring of contemporary medical travel.

Fourteen years ago, with the crash of the Thai baht, business and governmental leaders capitalized on Thailand’s excellent medical infrastructure to attract international patients from nearby countries with less robust healthcare choices.

Patients from Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and China were rapidly followed by European clients. Now thousands of Americans and Canadians head to Bangkok or Phuket, mostly to save on elective surgeries with lower costs that more than compensate for the uncomfortably long flight.

Bumrungrad: The International Hospital Pacesetter

Thailand’s huge medical calling card is Bangkok’s venerated, JCI-accredited Bumrungrad International Hospital, covering a million-square-foot complex in downtown Bangkok. More than 900 full-time and consulting physicians representing every imaginable specialty and subspecialty practice there.

Bumrungrad has set the pace for both the quality and quantity of contemporary international healthcare throughout Asia and the world. Bumrungrad’s large presence is not without its competition, and the equally impressive Dusit Medical Group owns and operates a large network hospitals throughout Thailand, including Bangkok International Hospital, Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Bangkok General Hospital, and Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital.

Although not Thailand’s native tongue, English is widely spoken in Thai cities and resort centers, and English is taught as a second language in Thai schools. While extremes of wealth and poverty can be readily witnessed, health travelers may feel more comfortable in Thai culture than in India or Africa.