Hospitals in Bangkok | Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is a growing worldwide trend, and Bangkok, Thailand, is on the leading edge of that trend. With several world class hospitals, and specialists in almost every field, Bangkok is leading the way for many Europeans and Americans, to better (and affordable) health care.

Reasons for this burgeoning phenomenon include extremely long waiting lists in some countries, such as the UK, where a hip replacement can mean an agonising year of waiting until you reach the top of the list. In other countries, such as the United States of America, medical costs can be sky-high, and people simply cannot afford to get the best treatment possible.

This is not the case in Bangkok. There are several world class hospitals which offer the very best treatment, at unbelievably reasonable costs. Probably the best known is Bumrungrad Hospital (http://www.bumrungrad.com/), which has full US accreditation. The Bumrungrad complex offers state of the art medical technology, along with five star hotel accommodation. The nursing staff are mostly Thai and they are second to none when it comes to tending to patients’ needs.

And all this for a fraction of the cost “at home” is very alluring to people who are in constant pain, or simply want to treat themselves to the latest cosmetic procedure at a very reasonable cost. And on top of all that, there is the undoubted attraction of spending some time recovering on a tropical island, or at a resort or spa.

When one considers that the cost of surgery in Bangkok can be up to one eighth the cost of the very same surgery in the United States or Western Europe, it is easy to see why medical tourism is taking off in a big way. To illustrate this point, full knee surgery in Bangkok to replace the knee plus six days of physical therapy following the surgery would cost less than a quarter of the cost in the United States.

Another hospital in Bangkok, Samitivej (http://www.samitivej.co.th/), on Sukhumvit Soi 49 is also a world class facility, easily on a par with Bumrungrad. Samitivej is run by doctors and has a very strong medical ethos.

Both these two hospitals have comprehensive websites, and both offer a doctor search facility, which allows you in effect to check out the qualifications of the doctors, and to book an appointment on line. Many of the doctors are accredited and trained at top medical facilities in Western Europe or in the United States.

For those interested in cosmetic surgery, again, Thailand leads the world. Lasik eye surgery for example costs less than a quarter the cost in the USA. A full face lift which could cost anything up to US$ 25,000 in the USA would be substantially less in either Bumrungrad or Samitivej Hospitals in Bangkok.

For those sceptics who say you only get what you pay for, think again. These two Bangkok hospitals are world class facilities, which are staffed mostly by US accredited physicians supported by a much higher than average number of nurses to patients than in almost any other country.

So if you just can’t wait any longer, why not treat yourself to a vacation on one of Thailand’s sun-soaked islands after taking care of your medical needs for a fraction of the price elsewhere. To sweeten the deal even more, many airlines also offer the added incentive of air miles, which are a certain way to make return visits for check-ups even less costly.

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