Harvard business school microeconomics of competitiveness. Thailand is leading asia as a medical tourism destination. An increasing number of countries are vying for a share of this growing market by promoting and branding themselves as medical tourist destinations. Thai embrace of medical tourism divides professionals. India is becoming the 2nd medical tourism destination after thailand. The mta works with healthcare providers, governments, insurance companies, employers and other buyers of healthcare in their medical tourism, international patient, and healthcare initiatives with a focus on. The medical tourism industry has experienced massive growth over the past decade. Medical tourism can be defined as travel across international borders with the purpose of availing medical treatment of some form, which may or may not be available in the. The strain of coronavirus called covid19 or also commonly called the wuhan coronavirus is genetically more potent and faster spreading than the sars coronavirus. With medical tourism still in its early stages, gaining reliable data is challenging. Medical tourism and policy implications for health systems. The fastest growing outbound tourism sector within the middle east is medical tourism whereby people living in one country travel abroad to receive medical, dental or surgical treatment in order to make significant cost savings over what they would be paying at home, according to jonathan edelheit, president of the medical tourism authority.
Middle east countries have sought medical treatment in the united states. Thailand medical tourism thailand, along with its asian neighbors singapore and india, accounts for 90% of asias medical tourism market. Global medical tourism market size and share analysis to 2025. Medical tourism association a global platform for the. Health vacations in thailand thailand medical tourism.
Medical tourism in thailand and its marketing strategies. As part of a wider medical tourism study, authors gained access to over. There are three objectives in this study, 1 to study the behaviour and needs of middle eastern tourists for health tourism, 2 to study elements of health tourism for middle eastern tourists, and 3 to study guidelines on health tourism management for middle eastern tourists. In 2010, almost 4,000 uk patients travelled to thailand to access medical treatment table 1, accounting for 3. The 2016 mti considers 41 destinations from the middle east, asia, americas, africa, and europe. Since 1996, we have seen 30,000 successful births with success rates well above the eu average. Out of the 6,101 patients, 2,946 came from the uae, 1,215 from saudi arabia and 411 from egypt. Rise of medical tourism in thailand thailand s healthcare shares have surged more than. Medical tourism has increased across the globe, with cosmetic treatment being a key treatment area, facilitating the growth of medical tourism across the region, followed by dental treatment. Middle east region obtained by convenience sampling in bangkok, thailand, delhi. Healthy outlook for thai medical tourism demand the national.
Some countries like india, south africa, or thailand have very different infectious diseaserelated epidemiology to europe and north america. Gregor frei of swiss health comments, 5 to 10% of the business now comes from the middle east. Uae as a medical hub the uae is working aggressively to build expertise in the medical field to become one of the hotspots for medical tourism in the region. Of uk patients 69% are male and 31% are female table 2 and the largest group 26% are between 4554 years old, with the average age of a patient being 46. E iii acknowledgements the case study was prepared by ms gloria pasadilla, itc international consultant, under the overall supervision of robert skidmore, chief, sector competitiveness, division of market development and the. A thai nurse takes care of a patient from the middle east at thailands top private hospital, bumrungrad international. Kpmg member firms provide a wideranging offering of studies, analysis and. Thailand coronavirus news is a section dedicated to the new coronavirus that is causing an epidemic in china and fast spreading globally. Thailand is at the forefront of this growing trend towards medical tourism. Weak growth outlooks in gulf states in the middle east have reduced the flow of medical tourists to thailand. Thailand medical tourism thailand, a popular tourist location in the heart of southeast asia, has gained recognition as a credible medical tourism destination as well. Jordan serves patients from some parts of the middle east. This is the first such study carried out in thailand, and is expected to enhance.
The report titled singapore medical tourism market and forecast to 2022 provides a comprehensive analysis of the top 16 source market for singapore medical tourism. The rise of medical tourism harvard business school. Medical tourism market size,share forecast,industry. Considering the geographical position of turkey, which is situated at the confluence of middle east, europe, balkan countries and africa, turkey. Growth in the popularity of medical tourism in the kingdom, as we enter the second decade of the 21st century, has attracted the attention of government policymakers, researchers, the business sector, and the media. Medical tourism research center of university of north.
Gcc countries comprising bahrain, kuwait, oman, qatar, saudi arabia, and the united arab. Healthy outlook for thai medical tourism demand emiratis who seek treatment abroad, including in thailand, are either selfpaying or do so at the expense of the ministry of health. Singapore and india are the next leading destinations, but data for these countries are also unclear, say industry analysts. Medical tourism, thai style a primer for the new millennium. India, thailand, and malaysia which will necessarily have potential. Middle eastern consumers perceptions towards medical tourism. Medical tourism, where patients travel overseas for operations, has grown rapidly in the past decade, especially for cosmetic surgery. Medical tourism is an important player in the thai economy. The 2016 mti considers 41 destinations from the middle east, asia, americas, africa. Our research and editorial team works hard to assemble. Below, we have compiled brief answers to some of the queries we receive most often.
That number grew to an estimated 750,000 in 2007 and could reach as high as 6 million by 2010. Emirates can stay in thailand as medical tourists for a maximum. Country profiles enable you to find out all you need to know about a specific country, and access the latest news, articles, information and statistics relating to inbound and outbound. This chapter is designed to illustrate the potential impact of medical tourism. Regardless of the direction of travel, some middleincome countries have been positioning themselves as destination countries for medical tourism. This was the ingredient wonderful impetus to the creation of spa tourism in the name of spa resort pharaoh still under construction is the first and unique in its kind in egypt and the middle east, a tourist village and a center for treatment of environmental, combining. Medical tourism profiles for middle east and north africa. The statistical tools deployed are, chisquare, anova, regression and factor analysis for a view of association of variables and strengths of the 15 determinant factors in medical tourism decision making. Medical tourism has often been portrayed as involving patients from highincome countries travelling to access cheaper care in low and middleincome countries. The overall aim of the study is to assess the impact of medical tourism on the thai economy and domestic private health system. As health tourism hub of asia, the priority for medical services is to ensure that the thailand is perceived as being a quality destination in the delivery of superior medical and healthrelated services. Country profiles enable you to find out all you need to know about a specific country, and access the latest news, articles, information and statistics relating to inbound and outbound medical travel for. Callan emery travelled to southeast asia and visited several leading hospitals in bangkok and kuala lumpur to gain an insight into the level and sophistication of the regions health tourism offerings and to gauge the extent of arab patients travelling to these destinations southeast asia is well known around the world as a super attractive.
Researchers from the university of saskatchewan usask research team has uncovered how bats can carry the middle east respiratory syndrome mers coronavirus without getting sick through batvirus adaptation, a research that could shed light on how coronaviruses make the jump to humans and other animals. Thailand was selected as a appropriate country for a case study due to its significant medical tourism industry. Our guide to medical tourism worldwide helps you to decide which is the best destination and healthcare provider for your needs, and provides practical advice about going overseas for surgery, dentistry or other kinds of treatment. At the same time, new opportunities with high growth potential, such as promoting locations in thailand for international film shoots and developing new leisure attractions, will help ensure a sustainable. The medical tourism association is a global nonprofit association for the medical tourism and international patient industry. East asia imtj gathers information about healthcare, health insurance systems and medical tourism around the world. Medical tourism in thailand thailand health care system. Medical tourism in thailand erik cohen augsb ejournal. The thai ministry of commerce estimated that, in 2006. A case study of malaysia, thailand, singapore and india.
Wellness tourism puts your health and wellbeing at the very center of your travel experience. Medical tourism attracts patients from china, russia and. The number of medical tourists that come in thailand has been steadily increasing since the early 2000s. This explorative study focuses on some key sociological issues at the core of the development process of the thai medical tourism sector. Swiss health has been a very active organiation promoting medical and wellness tourism. Similarly, in the area of domestic cosmetic surgery, a study using the search. The main benefit of medical tourism on thai economy is that it is bringing direct foreign exchange earnings and contributes greatly to government revenues. This has resulted in the country taking its place on the top of the global medical tourism market. Each year, over a million foreigners plan their medical travel around a thailand holiday clubbing sightseeing with medical treatments. Middle east and north africa imtj gathers information about healthcare, health insurance systems and medical tourism around the world. As a result, the per capita income of the country is. According to the international healthcare research center ihrc, medical tourism is likely to grow 14% annually, aligning with the yearly 12% growth of international tourist arrivals in thailand. Ranked 47th by the world health organization, the thai healthcare system has also been well recognized by the us consular information sheet. Medical and wellness tourism lessons from asia 23apr2014.
Ranked 47th by the world health organization, the thai healthcare system has also been well. Singapore medical tourism market and forecast to 2022. School of geosciences, university of sydney, nsw 2006, australia. Drivers of medical tourism and thailands position 15 3. In the last three years we have seen an annual increase from the gulf of between 20% and 50%. The increase in patients from the middle east is interpreted that the people who. Trips organized around the principle of wellness tourism should include healthy food, exercise, spa treatments, and opportunities to experience or expand your spirituality and creativity.
Uk medical tourists to thailand demographic profiles. The ministry of public health claimed thailand received 2. Asia pacific accounted for a significant market revenue share in the global medical tourism market for 2018 and is projected to show a similar trend until. Chennai is regarded as indias health city as it attracts 45% of health tourists visiting india and 40% of domestic health tourists. Nowadays, medical tourism is the most visible part of a generalised growth in the globalisation of healthwhich essentially comes down to international trade in health services. Most people prefer to receive healthcare close to home. A local case study is developed and an evaluation made on. Guidelines on health tourism management for middle eastern. You learn how to better care for yourself, physically, psychologically and spiritually. There are 15 determinants taken into account by a discerning outbound medical tourist in the choice of their medical destination.