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Thailand is recognised by various international agencies as “The Spa Capital of Asia. Thailand offers a wide range of medical tourism products, including wellness spas, medical spas. Integrated medicine and anti-ageing products.

The vicissitudes of Thai tourism are that it took a complete transformation within a decade or two, from one of the most nuanced to one of the finest centers of medical tourism. With state-of -the-art hospitals, wellness and medical spas, health resorts, herbal products, wellness and lifestyle shopping and hotel and service apartments, Thailand has become an international destination for medical and wellness treatments.

The country has always been one of the world’s tourism destinations due to diverse attractions, such as scenic beauty, delicious food, and above all, the Thai hospitality. Thailand now is now one of the best health and wellness providers with internationally accredited medical facilities, use of advanced technologies, excellent service and affordability. Recently, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) organized “Medical and Wellness Tourism Trade FAM Trip 2012” to showcase the advances made by the kingdom in the filed. Nearly 90 tourism facilitators, health tourism organizations and health insurance companies from 18 countries gathered in Bangkok for the event. It has been the first trade event targeting medical tourism organizations and health insurance companies.

According to Suraphon Svetasreni, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand 18 Thai hospitals have received JCI Accreditation, which is the highest number of any Asian country. In the wellness spa sector, Thailand is recognized by various international agencies as “The Spa Capital of Asia. Thailand offers a wide range of medical tourism products, including wellness spas, medical spas.Integrated medicine and anti aging products. Thai herbal medicines and therapy, as well as an array of Eastern medical knowledge, are also focal points for many international tourism operators. From the year 2000, the number of international fly-in patients in Thailand’s hospitals has seen a steady increase.

According to the Department of Health Service Support in Thailand, 2.24 million foreign visitors came to Thailand for medical tourism purposes in 2011. This influx of international patients generated 97.8 billion Baht (3.18 billion USD) in income. In 2012, the number of medical tourism visitors is expected to rise to 2.53 million. These numbers are however questioned due to the lack of proper statistics and reports. Medical tourists and international patients are drawn to Thailand due to its low cost yet high quality of medical treatments and elective procedures (such as cosmetic and plastic surgery, LASIK and dental treatment, dermatology, beauty and hairstyle saloons), along with state-of-the-art medical facilities, no waiting time, experienced and internationally trained physicians, and the famous Thai hospitality.

Thailand now boasts of nearly 1,000 public hospitals and over 316 private hospitals. Many of the private facilities are focused on accommodating international patients. Bumrungrad Hospital, it is said, alone treats over 400,000 international patients annually. Many hospitals provide stay facilities similar to 5 star hotels. Stepping into the lobby of hospitals such as Samitivej Sukhumvit, Bumrungrad and Bangkok Hospital Bangkok, you can enjoy the tunes of a man playing the grand piano while waiting for your appointment. You can opt menu served to you in your ward room from McDonalds, Le Bon Pain, Starbucks and other international food chains located within many of the hospital buildings. Most international Thai hospitals has a large body of international interpreters, communicating with foreigners in their own language, such as Arabic, Bengali, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Chinese, Korean, Swedish and Vietnamese.

They coordinate international patients’ stay all the way from the initial inquiry to the follow up check, and continue to communicate with the patient back home to monitor the healing Process Thai hospitals also provide specialized assistance for every need of international patients. For instance, hospitals is you prefer will arrange your trip to Thailand, booking your tickets and arranging your journey, including airfare, accommodation in Thailand, tours, airport pickup and other transportation. Bangkok Hospital even has a registration and information counters in the Suvarnhabumi Airport to greet new patients directly when they enter Thai soil.

Most international Thai hospitals provide a range of shops within the premises, such as flower boutiques, bookstores, health food stores, and baby shops. ATMs are also located within the hospital walls. As of today, a total of 34 Thai hospitals and hospital programs have received the Joint Commission International hospital accreditation. Thailand also has its own national hospital accreditation system, called HACC or HA (Hospital Accreditation), which a larger body of Thai medical facilities possess. Since a few years, Bangkok Hospital Bangkok also has the TEMOS certification, only given to medical facilities showing an excellent handling of medical tourists. Bangkok Hospital, with 13 branches is one of the largest hospital chain in the country.

Bangkok is the flagship hospital, renown for its cardiac and oncology departments. Bunrungrad Hospital is the largest private hospital in South East Asia, providing over 550 beds and 30 specialist centers. It focuses on medical tourism, accommodating over 400,000 international patients per year, about 40% of its total body of patients. In total, visitors from 190 countries have come to Bumrungrad for treatment. Yanhee Hospital is a one-stop center for health and beauty. It prides itself to be the leader of plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures in Thailand. With a large cosmetic surgery department of about 15 plastic surgeons, Yanhee performs tens of thousands of plastic surgery procedures per year. Boasting one of the biggest dental centers in Thailand and a popular Laser Eye Surgery center, Yanhee Hospital is said to be the most competitive prices for plastic surgery in Thailand, and has served patients from over 140 nationalities.

Phuket International Hospital is one of Southern Thailand’s largest medical facilities, with plastic surgery, LASIK and dental services.A harmonious blend of cultural heritage and destination diversity has made Thailand an infinitely attractive wellness and spa destination. Thailand provides an amazingly diverse range of spas, from chic contemporary Thai spas to luxurious hotel spas, lovingly converted traditional teak homes, medical spas, garden style spas. They follow a revitalizing holistic healing approach and therapeutic techniques with an abundance of herbs. Treatments such as aromatherapy, reflexology, hydrotherapy and traditional Thai massage are provided. Spas like Divana, TRIA, The Oasis are most famous in Bangkok. Dr.Orawan’s Holistic Institute is well accepted as a holistic centre. Show at Siam Niramit is another attraction for every visitor to Bangkok. Thailand also has treatments to suit everyone, from ancient to the modern, from the traditional to the alternative.

Holistic health integrate all aspects of of one’s life into healthy whole. For instance rather than prescribing a bag of pills a holistic practitioner would meet and discuss the different elements of a person’s life, and focus on integrating of lifestyle, diet, fitness and stress management procedures. There are a long array of holistic and anti-aging centers throughout the country. Thai massage is centuriesold. It is an extraordinary method of aligning the energies of the body. Thai massage combines yoga and acupressure techniques, manipulating the body’s internal energy using pressure points and yoga positions. Thai massage is based on the principles that invisible lines of force run through the body. There are 10 lines called sen. The massage is to release blockages that exist along then and allow a free flow of energy throughout the body. There are a number of centers that offer Thai massage. Thailand is thus a mix of the old and the new. It offers the best of both worlds.

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