Medical Tourism in Bangkok

Have you ever tried to go to another country for your health check up or treatment? We recently went to Bangkok to have our annual check up as it is closer to go there from Hanoi than to go home to Canada. We were there last year for my husband's colonoscopy as we were not able to do this in Canada because of lack of time. We were then working in Phnom Penh so it was easy to take an hour flight to Bangkok.

We knew of Bumrungrad from SOS International and from friends who have been there. Our first experience was impressive. A limo picked us up from Marriott  (the hotel has this arrangement with Bumrungrad) and when we arrived, we filled up the form, paid for the service we wanted and immediately they started the check up. We were there at 8 a.m and by 3:00 p.m., we had a conference with the doctor who explained the results to us. It was very comprehensive. So this year, we went back again to have a a comprehensive check up for both of us.

We booked our appointment by telephone and in their website you can choose the services you want. The fees are listed as well as the requirements for the check-up.

The whole experience is not that of going into the usual hospital. This one is there to serve and to make you, the client, happy and satisfied. The facility is like a hotel complete with a bookstore, Starbucks, and restaurants.

More and more people from various countries go for medical tourism. For some, because such service is not available in their country. For others, it is the price. It is cheaper to have cosmetic surgery in Bangkok or Malaysia than in Singapore.

Our German friend and his wife have their dental work done in Bangkok. For the price of what they'll pay in Germany, they can have their dental work done in Bangkok at the same time enjoy a two week holiday on a beach in Thailand. Others go for medical treatment to another country for privacy reasons. They don't want anyone knowing they have their face fixed.

Countries are now vying for medical tourists. I see how much it has built the economy of Bangkok by just looking at all the development around this very popular hospital.