Medical tourism in Thailand must not impact standards, say locals

 17-Jul-17, The Nation  

While there is a clear line between how much the poor and the rich can afford when they seek medical treatment, thus making “medical tourism” something that seemingly doesn’t affect the former, the Thai government's ambition to turn the country into a medical hub for foreign tourists requires thorough thinking.

Image: Medigo

The very first thing that can happen if Thailand becomes a full-blown medical hub is further migration of health personnel to the private sector. The situation is already worrying; only the best-known state hospitals are able to afford to keep qualified human resources.

The government needs to think it through, and a lot of safeguards must be put in place to make sure that the “medical hub” ambition does not succeed at the expense of the poor or Thai people in general. We must be extra careful when it comes to key social services like healthcare.

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