The fast approaching World Medical Health Tourism Conference added new speakers and workshops

Aug. 12, 2009 - PRLog -- The World Medical Health Tourism Conference: A New Way Forward in 2009 has added a list of exciting new speakers. In addition to this, a great opportunity has emerged for doctors, medical tourism operators, insurance companies and the likes. Delegates will have the chance to not only make face to face meeting with the executives from both world famous medical facility in Phuket, Thailand - the Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Phuket International Hospital but also have the chance to do in-depth onsite inspections and attend workshops that shall be presented in both hospitals’ premises.

This is a unique experience and the first for an event such as this. Attending this event presents an opportunity for medical tourism industry players to form new alliances and business opportunities at the same time gaining an intimate working knowledge of both these finest hospitals. When coupled with the excellent range of speakers from various countries, this event is a must for companies involved in the medical tourism industry.  

Medical Tourism is becoming one of Asia’s fastest growing industries, projected to be worth at least USD 4 billion by 2012. The promise of low-cost, high quality healthcare is attracting more than 1.3 million tourists a year to key locations such as Thailand where a medical tourist spends an average of USD 362 a day, compared with the average traveller’s spending of USD 144. Bangkok Post 2004 Mid-Year Review states that healthcare costs in Thailand are 50 % cheaper than in Singapore, three times cheaper than in Hong Kong, and five to ten times cheaper than in Europe and the USA. A segment of the CBS investigative news program 60 Minutes that was aired in September 2005 featured Thailand as the leading medical tourism destination where patients were given first-class service at third-world prices.

Phuket’s Main Medical Tourism Key Players

Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Phuket International Hospital are the pioneers of medical care in Phuket, serving local and foreign communities with international medical standard in world-class facilities at reasonable prices. Both hospitals also tied up with different resorts and hotel partners as recuperation centres to promote medical tourism in this island paradise.

Ingredients for a Competitive Medical Tourism Hub

With the strong and aggressive drive for Thailand to be a regional healthcare hub, The Thai government and the provincial sectors in Phuket have moved and encouraged Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Phuket International Hospital to boost up Phuket as a “Health and Wellness destination”.  

The qualifying factor to be an ideal health tourism hub is the combination of beautiful and natural tourist’s spots and the quality of healthcare services. We’ve summed up four medical factors to make a destination ready for international medical services.

1st Factor: Quality of Medical Personnel in Thailand. Thailand’s Ministry of Health requires all medical personnel to have medical license in order to be able to perform medical services.

2nd Factor: Advance technology of medical infrastructures

3rd Factor: International Standard. To gain the confidence of international patients in the medical personnel, healthcare system and infrastructure, the Ministry of Health has issued the quality program called Hospital Quality Improvement Accreditation (HA) for every hospital both in public and private sector to ensure and maintain quality in the healthcare services. Some hospitals have processed to a more international recognition level such as JCIA (Joint Commission International Accreditation) and ISO.

4th Factor: Customer Service. The warm nature of the Thai people’s hospitality or so called Thai-ness coupled with international medical training, cutting-edge technology, excellent nurse-patient ratio puts Thailand ahead in the line up of medical tourism destination.  

For more information or booking to join the conference, please contact sosmedical@ymail.com or register online at www.sosmedicaltourism.com

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SOS Medical Tourism Services is a professional medical conference organizer (PMCO) and medical tourism facilitator based in Phuket Thailand.