Medical tourism, Asia’s growth industry

Medical tourism in Asia is growing rapidly, far outstripping the 4 to 6 per cent growth in general travel bookings predicted for 2006, with the number of medical tourist visits to many countries swelling by 20 to 30 per cent a year.

Example of medical tourism in Phuket Thailand

• Annual health check-up
• Dental treatment by dentist
• MRI scanning and other imaging diagnostic
• Holiday Dialysis
• Skin rejuvenation treatments without surgery
• Plastic surgery procedures:
  Abdominoplasty, Blepharoplasty, Eyelid Surgery, Brachioplasty, Breast Enlargement (Augmentation Mammaplasty), Breast Lift, Breast Reduction, Face-Lift, Forehead Lift, Mid-Face Lift, Neck Lift, Otoplasty, Liposuction, Rhinoplasty, Sex reassignment.
• Hip or knee replacements

What is medical tourism / health tourism / health holidays?

Medical Tourism can be broadly defined as the act of traveling to other countries to obtain cost effective medical, dental, and surgical care. Medical Tourism also combines wellness and healthcare alongside leisure and relaxation aimed at rejuvenating a person mentally, physically and emotionally. It revolves around the idea of drawing you away from your daily routine to a relaxed surrounding in an exotic location.

For many medical tourists, though, the real attraction is price. The cost of surgery in Thailand can be one-tenth of what it is in the United States or Western Europe, and sometimes even less. A heart-valve replacement that would cost $200,000 or more in the U.S., for example, goes for fraction of that price in Thailand and that includes round-trip airfare and a brief vacation package. Similarly, a metal-free dental bridge worth $5,500 in the U.S. costs $750 in Thailand, a knee replacement in Thailand with six days of physical therapy costs about one-fifth of what it would in the States, and Lasik eye surgery worth $3,700 in the U.S. is available in Thailand for only $1650. Cosmetic surgery savings are even greater: A full facelift that would cost $20,000 in the U.S. runs about $7500 in Thailand.

This web site provides information about medical tourism in Phuket Thailand and an insight into elective procedures such as rhinoplasty, liposuction, breast augmentation, orthodontics, and LASIK, to more serious and life-saving procedures such as joint replacements and cardiac bypass surgery among others.

A combination of many factors has lead to the recent increase in popularity of medical tourism: high costs of healthcare in industrialized nations, ease and affordability of international travel, improving technology and standards of care in many countries of the world.

Medical tourists are generally residents of the industrialized nations of the world, the countries they travel are typically the less developed ones with lower cost of medical care, in some cases due to favorable currency exchange ratios. Currently, many of the procedures accessed are considered "elective procedures," such as cosmetic surgery. Because elective procedures are rarely covered through health insurance plans, there may be greater incentive to find such care at lower costs.

Why is medical tourism to Thailand so popular?

Medical tourism is a growing segment of Thailand's tourism and health-care sectors. Lower labor costs translate to significant cost savings on procedures. In 2005, one Bangkok hospital took in 150,000 treatment seekers from abroad. In 2006, medical tourism was projected to earn the country 36.4 billion baht.

The Kasikorn Research Centre expects the number of foreign patients in Thailand to rise to roughly 1.54 million at the end of this (2008) year, generating about 40 billion baht. It should top two million in 2010.

While it is not commonly known outside Thailand, the modern Thai medical system has its origins in the United States when Prince Mahidol of Songkla, the King's father, earned his MD degree from Harvard Medical School in the early 20th century. Prince Mahidol convinced the Rockefeller Foundation to pay for an American medical education for a group of Thai men and women. Those men and women became the first educators for the modern Thai medical system. Today many Thai physicians hold US professional certification.

Thailand has an excellent mix of low cost, high quality care coupled with clean, safe, modern infrastructure.

RelaxU your medical tourism partner in Thailand.

• RelaxU is our brand name in medical tourism. We are located in Phuket Thailand and we will help you to find answers for your questions and help you to make appointments with he doctors.
  Our services includes:
• Recommendation of hospitals and doctors
• Consultation with our doctors
• Free price estimate after photo consultation
• Transfer of medical records
• Arrange appointments
• Confirmation of appointments
• Hospital registration
• Airport assistance
• Transfer service Airport – hotel –hospital
• Sightseeing
• General assistance

If you are looking for plastic surgery we can help you to get a price estimate directly from the surgeon. You can get this price estimate before you decide and before you start to make your travel arrangements. Photo consultation and price estimate is free of charge from RelaxU.

When you arrive in Thailand we can arrange with your transfer from airport and our staff will help you trough the registration process at the hospital and in some cases we can arrange with pre registration.

We can assist you during the consultation with the doctor before the operation and we will visit you at the hospital after the operation.

Contact us and we will help you to make the necessary arrangements for your chosen medical treatment. Send your email to relax@relaxu.nu

Get more information about medical tourism

Read more about medical tourism:
Wikipedia: Medical tourism
Travel + Leisure: The medical vacation
CBS: News in dept - Medical tourism: Need surgery, will travel,2004
CBS: Vacation, adventure and surgery 2005
Medical tourism: Asia's growth industry

Ask your question by e-mail to relax@relaxu.nu

Book your appointment with a clinic, doctor or dentist by e-mail to relax@relaxu.nu