Health Care in the Far East-thailand

Unfounded fears

I recently put out a question on the internet about having some medical treatment in the Far East.

The answers weren’t very positive, most of them were discouraging, other-scare stories but the main bulk of them were comments like “I just want to wish you the best in your decisions!!”. Not very helpful, but then again, most people (no offence to them) know little about foreign countries-let alone foreign medicine, they focus and center around fear mongering and enjoy the “I knew a girl that...” stories.  But let’s have a look at the facts about health care, health centers and surgery in countries like Thailand for example.  Apart from the medical tourism widely available, let’s firstly take at a brief insight into the public health service available there.  In 2001, a low cost health program was introduced in Thailand. Known as the 30 baht plan because patients could pay just 30B per visit, it has won plenty of support among the rural population of Thailand because now millions of poor Thais all the over the country can afford health care. The program covers most basic illness plus many expensive surgeries and treatment for more serious illnesses like aids and cancer. People who were afraid to go to hospital because they thought that it would be too expensive can finally go and get treatment. The downside of this however, has been the fact that many hospitals and doctors complained that not enough thought was put into it, resulting in huge hospital debts and overworked doctors. Putting these problems aside, compared with many countries including the US, Thailand can now boast that the 30B plan shows the world that even developing countries can implement a universal health plan.

Tourism

On the other side of the coin, worlds apart from the crowded public hospitals, are Thailand’s private hospitals. Treatment for medical tourists range from organ transplants to cosmetic and cardiac surgery, treatment also includes spa, physical and mental therapies- and in 2006 the numbers of treatment seekers coming from abroad topped 150,000 patients. The hospitals themselves boast of 5-star hotel like service but also offer very high quality care that westerners can easily compare to good hospitals back home. Even the US embassy in Bangkok gives the Thai health care system high marks especially for the hospitals in Bangkok. And because of their high standards and latest technology, Thai hospitals are also popular destinations for other Asian countries like Japan and Korea. Hospitals like the famed (ISO 9002 accredited) Samitivej Hospitals, two in the center of Bangkok and another in the center of Sriracha (130 km south of Bangkok) which are comparable to any of the best in the world. Boasting the latest equipment, they offer services from dentistry through a range of practices including the Heart Institute and the Children’s Hospital, most doctors hold US or UK professional certifications, speak fluent English and are accompanied by a range of bi-lingual nurses that can handle many other languages too.