Thailand as a hub for medical tourism
Will it improve or ruin Thailand's healthcare system?
By Jon Fernquest
Thailand is already a world leader in tourism. One of Thaksin's controversial ideas was to make Thailand a world leader in medical tourism also.
Medical tourism is when people travel to other countries to receive medical treatment (Read articles).
Medical tourists have different reasons for seeking treatment outside their own country.
Medical tourists from the Middle East are often sponsored by their governments who seek lower cost medical services to save money.
Medical tourists from poorer countries like Burma seek higher standard medical services than those that available in their own country.
The new Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai wants to revive this "medical hub" idea.
The idea is to attract foreign patients to private hospitals in Thailand with high end medical facilities and services.
Private hospitals in Malaysia and Singapore compete with Thailand in this market.
medical tourism -
the rapidly-growing practice of traveling across international borders
to obtain health care (See
Wikipedia)
healthcare system - the arrangement for delivering healthcare within a country (See Wikipedia)
controversial - an issue that people disagree about and argue about
X sponsored by Y - X pays the costs of Y doing the activity
revive - make active again, bring to life again
high-end - high quality services and goods for a high price
facilities - special purpose equipment and buildings
medical facilities - a hospital, special equipment and buildings for medical treatment
healthcare system - the arrangement for delivering healthcare within a country (See Wikipedia)
controversial - an issue that people disagree about and argue about
X sponsored by Y - X pays the costs of Y doing the activity
revive - make active again, bring to life again
high-end - high quality services and goods for a high price
facilities - special purpose equipment and buildings
medical facilities - a hospital, special equipment and buildings for medical treatment
Will more medical tourism improve or ruin Thailand's healthcare system?
Some experts claim that medical tourism has caused a medical brain drain in Thailand. Skilled doctors and nurses quit their jobs at government hospitals and switched to private hospitals for higher wages and better career prospects.Despite these obvious objections there are several ways that Thailand's healthcare system might benefit in the long-run from medical tourism:
1. Demand-driven education: Why
not take advantage of
the opportunity and train more Thai doctors, nurses, and
health professionals to meet the increased demand for medical services
that comes with medical tourism? This is a clear-cut case where more
education provides immediate benefits.
2. Competition improves quality: Private hospitals compete with government hospitals. This could eventually improve the overall quality of healthcare at government hospitals.
3. High-end Thai market: If high-end medical services and facilities are not available, then Thais will simply travel to other countries to get them and spend their money in other countries.
4. Technology transfer: Advanced medical technologies are introduced to private hospitals when they first become available. Because private hospitals are using them in the country they have a much better chance of being quickly adopted by slower moving government hospitals.
5. Complement to high-end tourism: Tourist destinations are more attractive if they have advanced medical services. After the Tsunami many tourists had to undergo special treatment to remove sewater and foreign objects from their lungs and stomach. After the Santika smoke inhalation victims needed special treatment to remove the smoke from their lungs. These medical services were provided at private hospitals with specially trained staff.
2. Competition improves quality: Private hospitals compete with government hospitals. This could eventually improve the overall quality of healthcare at government hospitals.
3. High-end Thai market: If high-end medical services and facilities are not available, then Thais will simply travel to other countries to get them and spend their money in other countries.
4. Technology transfer: Advanced medical technologies are introduced to private hospitals when they first become available. Because private hospitals are using them in the country they have a much better chance of being quickly adopted by slower moving government hospitals.
5. Complement to high-end tourism: Tourist destinations are more attractive if they have advanced medical services. After the Tsunami many tourists had to undergo special treatment to remove sewater and foreign objects from their lungs and stomach. After the Santika smoke inhalation victims needed special treatment to remove the smoke from their lungs. These medical services were provided at private hospitals with specially trained staff.
Vocabulary:
brain drain - when
skilled workers are drawn away from where they are needed because they
can earn more money someplace else (for example, Indian doctors
educated in the US choosing to stay in the US rather than go back to
India and help poor people)
prospects - the chances of being successful (See glossary)
career prospects - the chances that you will be successful in your career
opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do something that you want to do (See glossary)
take advantage of an opportunity - actively trying to use a situation you have to be successful
obvious - easy to see and understand
objection - an argument against something
X driven by Y - X caused by Y, development of X caused by Y
technology transfer - when a country or company gains a new technology from some source
X a complement to Y - X goes together well with and adds value to Y
prospects - the chances of being successful (See glossary)
career prospects - the chances that you will be successful in your career
opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do something that you want to do (See glossary)
take advantage of an opportunity - actively trying to use a situation you have to be successful
obvious - easy to see and understand
objection - an argument against something
X driven by Y - X caused by Y, development of X caused by Y
technology transfer - when a country or company gains a new technology from some source
X a complement to Y - X goes together well with and adds value to Y
Foreign doctors practicing medicine in Thailand?
The current plan would involve issuing special licenses to foreign health professionals to work in Thailand's private hospitals.Note that "health professional" includes a lot more than doctors (See list of health professionals).
Some experts claim that allowing foreign doctors or other health professional to practice medicine in Thailand would "ruin" Thailand's healthcare system but they do not really explain why. Perhaps they fear competition or criticism. Cultural incompatibilities also make collaboration between Thai doctors and foreign colleagues difficult.
Some fear that bringing foreign doctors into Thailand might cause legal problems "if any lawsuits are filed against them by patients for medical malpractice."
What countries would doctors these come from? What sort of qualifying tests for a license to practice medicine would be required? A large percentage of doctors in the US come from other countries but they must pass the same tests for practicing medicine that US doctors must pass.
a health professional -
a doctor, nurse, or specially trained person who provides treatment
(See list)
practice medicine - treat patients for diseases (diagnose illness, prescribe medicine or treatment, monitor progress of treatment)
license to practice medicine - official permission from the government to practice medicine
incompatible - do not go together, cannot work together
cultural incompatibilities - when two different cultures cannot work together (for example, western doctors might be more direct in telling patients about their disease than Thai doctors, Thai doctors might use different procedures)
collaboration - when people work together to achieve a goal
colleagues - people who work together in a high-level professional job
lawsuits - a case in a court of law to end a dispute between two people
medical malpractice - when a doctor makes a mistake during medical treatment and the patient suffers in some way, a legal case can win money from the doctor or even inflict criminal punishment (Read article)
practice medicine - treat patients for diseases (diagnose illness, prescribe medicine or treatment, monitor progress of treatment)
license to practice medicine - official permission from the government to practice medicine
incompatible - do not go together, cannot work together
cultural incompatibilities - when two different cultures cannot work together (for example, western doctors might be more direct in telling patients about their disease than Thai doctors, Thai doctors might use different procedures)
collaboration - when people work together to achieve a goal
colleagues - people who work together in a high-level professional job
lawsuits - a case in a court of law to end a dispute between two people
medical malpractice - when a doctor makes a mistake during medical treatment and the patient suffers in some way, a legal case can win money from the doctor or even inflict criminal punishment (Read article)
Economist Ammar Siamwalla against "medical hub" idea
"Well-known economist Ammar Siamwalla is also opposed to the plan, saying that huge national health care resources would have to be invested in this project while only private hospital owners and staff would benefit.The national economic situation was not so severe that it could not do without a medical hub, he said.
'The damage to the Thai people would be much worse than the national economy if the government resuscitates the medical hub scheme,' he said.
Mr Ammar said the government would be better off improving the national health care system by collecting a medical service tax from foreign patients seeking treatment in the country."
resuscitates -
brings back to life
(Source: Bangkok Post, business, Medical hub brought back from dead, APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL, 13-01-09, link)
