Plastic Surgery, Sex Change, General Surgery, Major Surgery.

With speed, and quality, of hospital services: medical tourism attracts more and more patients to make the trip from the West. States the Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok , one of the largest establishments in the kingdom.

Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok

Bumrungrad has, in a few years risen from the status of a hospital for expatriates, living in Thailand, to a flagship, for medical tourism in Asia.

With 700 physicians, more than 500 beds, and multilingual teams, it is one of the largest private institutions ofSouth-East Asia. The hospital listed on the stock exchange, claiming one million patients each year, half of them foreigners

“We get patients from 189 countries," says Mack Banner, the operator of Bumrungrad International Hospital. "We offer a significant advantage in terms of price compared to theUnited States or Europe. So we are 5 to 10 times cheaper than American hospitals. "In theUnited States, 70% of hospital expenses come from personnel costs, in Thailand, they fall to 15%. At Bumrungrad, doctors, half of whom were trained in the United States and Europe, are all self-employed workers.

As a result prices are a fraction of western costs. A coronary bypass here costs, $7,600, against $54,500 in the United States. Gaining a couple of bra size’s in Thailand costs in $2700 compared with more than $16.500 in theUnited States.

On the internet, there are more and more clinics and surgeons advertising their services. They boast their know-how for everything, such as, sex change operations, plastic surgery, cardiac, in vitro fertilization. Everything that is possible in the west is possible in `Thailand.

A Room at the Hospital, not a hotel

You can even find travel agents who sell package deals, with flights, hospital treatment, and beach holidays combined. And in this area, Bumrungrad is at the cutting edge of medical tourism. Its website even offers discount’s on procedures like, Caesarean sections and endoscopies.

Later, an American, with a tanned complexion, explains how he travelled for his prostate operation. "In my case, theUnited States, insurance is unaffordable. In the US they asked me for $33,000 for a prostate operation, "says the anaesthetist fromIndiana.”Here, it cost me $7000. I am a professional in the health sector and, believe me; I have not seen anywhere such a quality service. "
Bumrungrad, which means "take care of the people" in Thai, is not an exception. There are nearly 400 private clinics in the country.

And the Thai Ministry of  Health states, "We are expecting more than one million foreigners seeking care. A real boon for the country, which focuses on high-end tourism. "

"Since the economic crisis of 1997-2000 years, local customers found it difficult to pay for consultations with private hospitals. They prefer turning to the audience, "says Ruben Toral, the marketing manager of Bumrungrad.”At that time, we have begun to accommodate foreign patients to broaden our customer base."

Ruben Toral, who focuses on what he considers the bankruptcy of Western health systems, believes that medical tourism is still in its infancy. At Bumrungrad Hospital l, 52% of revenue already comes from medical tourism.

Three countries compete.
Three countries share the lucrative market of medical tourism in Asia:Thailand Singapore and India. If Thailand is the pioneer in this field, Singapore hopes to exceed one million foreign patients in the next 3 years, with a specialty: the market for expatriates.

India, which each year trains 20,000 doctors and 30,000 nurses, might well be the new big player. There, everyone speaks English; prices are low, and technologies high in development.

Apollo, an Indian chain that includes 38 hospitals and 7000 beds, is expanding its telemedicine services with Britain. The program, a free consultation from London with one of the medical specialists installed him in New Delhi.

The Transsexual market.

The reputation of Thai doctors is well established. For twenty years, the kingdom has made a specialty in plastic surgery. Having a nose and eyes unfettered is common in Thailand . It even offers breast enhancement for a birthday present.

Candidates surging in numbers.
More surprising, but no less lucrative, the operations for a sex change. It is estimated that more than a thousand operations per year of this kind are conducted in Thailand. "The number of candidates is on the upswing," says Dr. Greechart of Yanhee Hospital in Bangkok. "Nearly 95% of our transactions involve men who want to become women. The interventions last 4 to 8 hours and are billed $5500. "

This doctor provides a psychiatric evaluation is required before any operation, as well as a pre-treatment for two years with female hormones.

In 2005, nearly a million foreigners came to seek treatment in Thailand. Among them a majority of, Americans, Britons, and Japanese, but also from, the countries of the Persian Gulf who are having difficulties since September 2001, to obtain a visa to the United States.

According to a Swedish study, two-thirds of Europeans are prepared to beoperated upon abroad, provided that the costs are lower than at home.

Two kinds of tourists choose Thailand as a medical destination. Those who profit from their holidays for a check-up or a minor procedure, such as the correction of myopia or laser tooth whitening. And those who profit, simply from the huge savings in costs.

Several weeks
In North America and Britain , it can take several weeks, or months, before undergoing surgery. In Canada, the waiting period for the installation of a hip replacement may exceed one year! Not surprising that 6000 Canadians will seek treatment each year in Thailand.

This article has been written with reference to one hospital in particular but it should be stated that there are many other hospitals , clinic’s, and doctors in Thailand ,catering to medical tourists, mostly in Bangkok and Pattaya, Although there are several hospitals in the Bangkok Hospital group spread around the country including Phuket.