As most of you know, I am David Hogan Jr, a travel writer, travel blogger, traveller and photographer for Malaysia Asia, and I have been doing this activity since early 2008.
My main focus is travel blogging for Southeast Asia, specifically Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia, and Thailand. This November 2010, I am doing something entirely different, so please read on.
My main focus is travel blogging for Southeast Asia, specifically Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia, and Thailand. This November 2010, I am doing something entirely different, so please read on.
Medical Tourism in Thailand Contest
From 21 November to 27 November 2010, I will be attending Thailand's Medical Blog Contest. I was selected as one of the 12 Travel Bloggers worldwide to compete in this competition, which will last a whopping two months after our familiarisation trip.
On this trip, we will visit various Medical Facilities and Centers throughout 5 popular places around Thailand. These five places, which are well known worldwide for their impeccable medical procedures and hospitality, are;
On this trip, we will visit various Medical Facilities and Centers throughout 5 popular places around Thailand. These five places, which are well known worldwide for their impeccable medical procedures and hospitality, are;
- Bangkok
- Pattaya
- Chiang Mai
- Phuket
- Koh Samui
Who would have guessed that some of the most beautiful tropical islands would have top-notch medical facilities?
Even I was surprised that these places did significant surgeries with a vacation-styled recovery program.
Even I was surprised that these places did significant surgeries with a vacation-styled recovery program.
This opened up my curiosity to visit these places to see how they ran their Medical Tourism.
Thailand Medical Tourism Overview
With several growing health medical tourists seeking affordable vacation-style procedures, Thailand is no doubt one of the top three places in the world for this.
And now, with this trip, I will experience what a foreigner would face when they select Thailand as their destination for health procedures.
Thailand offers all kinds of medical procedures, check-ups and operations. Among the popular procedures included are Cardiac, Orthopedic, Stem Cell Therapy, Dental, Gender Reassignment, Cosmetic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, General Medical Check-Up and more. Prices are a fraction of what most would pay back in their country.
Thailand offers all kinds of medical procedures, check-ups and operations. Among the popular procedures included are Cardiac, Orthopedic, Stem Cell Therapy, Dental, Gender Reassignment, Cosmetic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, General Medical Check-Up and more. Prices are a fraction of what most would pay back in their country.
Here is a rough comparison of the cost of some common major surgeries in the USA and Thailand. Prices are in US Dollars below.
| Procedure | US | Thailand |
| Heart bypass | 130,000 | 11,000 |
| Heart valve replacement | 160,000 | 10,000 |
| Angioplasty | 57,000 | 13,000 |
| Hip replacement | 43,000 | 12,000 |
| Knee replacement | 40,000 | 10,000 |
| Hysterectomy | 20,000 | 4,500 |
| Spinal fusion | 62,000 | 7,000 |
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| Me sitting with the last remaining Iban Shamans of Sarawak, Borneo. |
Conclusion
I hope to share this article with all my readers and those seeking information about Health Tourism in Thailand. I will be documenting my daily experiences for one whole week around this beautiful country.
Please bookmark and visit this page for regular updates, pictures, videos and information. I will also be tweeting live and updating my Malaysia Asia Facebook Fan Page daily, so please 'Follow' my Twitter and 'Like' my Facebook page.
I also have a previous article on 5 Medical Tourism Areas in Thailand if you want to learn about these areas. Thank you for reading this, and have a lovely day wherever you may be.