ArticleBulletin of the World Health Organization2016
Medical tourism in Thailand: a cross-sectional study.
Article in Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Needs, attitudes, and factors influencing medical tourism in Thailand.Preventive medicine reports · 2026Article
- Demographic data of patients travelling from public hospitals for medical treatment abroad: outbound medical tourism in the Sultanate of Oman.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Demographics and Trends for Inbound Medical Tourism in Germany for Orthopedic Patients before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Understanding and comparing the medical tourism cancer patient with the locally managed patient: A case control study.PloS one · 2022Article
- Lessons from COVID-19's impact on medical tourism in Cambodia.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2021Article
- Enhancing Research and Development in the Health Sciences as a Strategy to Establish a Knowledge-Based Economy in the State of Kuwait: A Call for Action.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- The upside of trade in health services.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2019Article
- Omanis Traveling Abroad for Healthcare: A Time for Reflection.Oman medical journal · 2018Article
- Achieving universal health coverage in small island states: could importing health services provide a solution?BMJ global health · 2018Article
- Assessing Medical Tourism Services Quality Using SERVQUAL Model: A Patient's Perspective.Iranian journal of public health · 2018Article
- Trade is central to achieving the sustainable development goals: a case study of antimicrobial resistance.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2017Article
- Exploring Legal Restrictions, Regulatory Reform, and Geographic Disparities in Abortion Access in Thailand.Health and human rights · 2017Article
- Cross-border movement of older patients: a descriptive study on health service use of Japanese retirees in Thailand.Globalization and health · 2017Article
- Role of Travel Motivations, Perceived Risks and Travel Constraints on Destination Image and Visit Intention in Medical Tourism: Theoretical model.Sultan Qaboos University medical journal · 2017Review
- The Role of Outpatient Care Accreditation in Enhancing Foreign Patients' Perception of Colombian Medical Tourism: A Quasi-experimental Design.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo investigate the magnitude and characteristics of medical tourism in Thailand and the impact of such tourism on the Thai health system and economy.
methodsIn 2010, we checked the records of all visits to five private hospitals that are estimated to cover 63% of all foreign patients. We reviewed hospital records of foreign patients and obtained data on their countries of origin, diagnoses and interventions. We surveyed 293 medical tourists to collect demographic characteristics and information on their expenditure and travelling companions. To help understand the impact of medical tourism on the Thai health system, we also interviewed 15 hospital executives and 28 service providers from the private hospitals.
findingsWe obtained 911,913 records of hospital visits, of which 324,906 came from 104,830 medical tourists. We estimated that there were 167,000 medical tourists in Thailand in 2010. Of the medical tourists who attended our study hospitals, 67,987 (64.8%) came from the eastern Mediterranean region or Asia and 109,509 (34%) of them were treated for simple and uncomplicated conditions - i.e. general check-ups and medical consultations. The mean self-reported non-medical expenditure was 2750 United States dollars. According to the hospital staff interviewed, medical tourism in 2010 brought benefits to - and apparently had no negative impacts on - the Thai health system and economy.
conclusionWe estimate that the total number of medical tourists visiting Thailand is about 10% of previous national government estimates of 1.2 million. Such tourists appear to bring economic benefits to Thailand and to have negligible effects on the health system.
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