Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand Oct / Nov 2017: The Travel Issue | Page 62
Health & Wellness
and they get to enjoy a tropical vaca-
tion, too.
5
THE
POSSIBILITY
OF EXTRA OR
SPEEDIER CARE
Health tourists from Westernized
nations with socialized health sys-
tems, such as the United Kingdom or
Australia, might venture to Thailand
for treatment when a little more than
the bare minimum treatment cov-
ered by social health care is required.
Another scenario might be when a
patient opts to undergo elective or
non-emergency care, and the wait
times at home are longer than the
patient wishes to endure. For ex-
ample, it is sometimes possible in
Thailand to repair rotator cuff tears or
to perform hip replacements with-
in a matter of days, whereas patients
62 WANDERLUST
might be
forced to
wait in pain
for months or
even years in
other countries.
The World Health
Organization has
deemed Thailand’s
health care facilities to
be of ‘world class’.
WHAT
DOES THE
FUTURE HOLD?
Medical tourism, it seems, isn’t going
anywhere soon. Until all countries are
able to provide excellent and afford-
able health care, people will contin-
ue booking trips not only for the time
of their lives but, perhaps, to save
their lives.
Here in Thailand, the growth of
international visitors is projected
to exceed the natural growth of the
population, making incoming medi-
cal tourists an increasingly important
segment for the healthcare sector.
Recognizing this, there is a constant
push for
Thailand to
strive for ev-
er-higher stan-
dards of care.
A positive con-
sequence of rais-
ing the bar of excel-
lence is that residents of
the Kingdom have quick and easy
access to some of the best doctors,
medical treatments, and healthcare
facilities in the world — a benefit
which is set only to improve as the
years go on.
If you’re curious about the cost of a
particular treatment or surgery for
you or a loved one at Bumrungrad
International, hospital staff can provide
you with a price quote. Please contact
[email protected] for more.
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