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BUMRUNGRAD INTERNATIONAL HOSPITAL: WHATMAKES IT THE WORLD’S TOP MEDICAL TOURISMHOSPITAL?Posted in Medical Providers by MyMedHoliday on February 19, 2014

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5/3/2557 Bumrungrad International Hospital: What Makes it the World’s Top Medical Tourism Hospital? | Medical Tourism Blog

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Photo credited to Bumrungrad International Hospital

Bumrungrad International Hospital (BIH) is one of the leading medical institutions in all of

Asia. It’s also an institution in the sense that it’s a fixture among expats, tourists, and

medical tourists in need of healthcare in Bangkok.

Its long record of success helped it become the first hospital in Asia to receive Joint

Commission International (JCI) accreditation in 2002, it has earned special distinction for

its stroke and heart programs, and it is a regular recipient of the US-based DAISY

Foundation’s Daisy Award recognizing outstanding nursing services.

When myMEDholiday.com was invited to tour Bumrungrad International Hospital and

interview a high-ranking public relations manager, we had no problem gearing up with

questions about their services and their 1,200 physicians, surgeons, dentists, and

consultants, of which roughly 220 are US board-certified.

Photo credited to Bumrungrad International Hospital

Here’s a look at just some of what we learned about this world-class facility…

BIH is all about providing special support for international patients. What you’ll notice is

it’s big and busy, yet efficient and easy to navigate, even in the bustling, airy, naturally-

lighted main lobby which includes the customer service center, a flower shop, a Bangkok

Bank branch, and Starbuck’s. There are other international shops throughout the

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Bumrungrad campus, too, like Healthy Max, Au Bon Pain, and even McDonald’s (for

visitors, not patients, we’d presume!).

Photo credited to Bumrungrad International Hospital

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Photo credited to Bumrungrad International Hospital

Once an international patient has arrived for treatment, their first point of contact is the

English-speaking customer service team comprised of 10 inpatient and over 20 outpatient

staff. These agents check you in and direct you to the appropriate areas for treatment or

consultation, and if communication difficulties arise, agents reach out to translators of 12

different languages. Arabic is most popular, and there are even five Mongolian

translators (plus two Mongolian doctors on staff) which, to me, indicates just how global

this facility really is.

Elevator signage throughout the hospital is in Arabic, Japanese, Thai, and English, and

beyond the ease of communications, BIH has made it easy for patients to know when and

where they need to be for their treatments. An automated system of TV monitors running

throughout this leader of medical tourism hospitals shows their patient number in a

queue reminiscent of an airport’s departures board.

One of the more popular stops for patients is the 11th floor Health Screening center which

seemed an object lesson in efficiency. The different areas one visits during a

comprehensive check-up at Bumrungrad are streamlined from check-in to billing and

post-screening refreshments, and include a program-selection desk where patients

choose one of four programs that cover everything from cholesterol tests to liver function

assessments to hepatitis screening.

Photo credited to Bumrungrad International Hospital

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Photo credited to Bumrungrad International Hospital

Patients who go to the 12th floor inpatient ward find a clean, comfy, modern facility

featuring 554 beds and a fleet of doting nurses. There are 15 types of rooms with the

basic single-occupancies setting you back just over US$300 per day and the deluxe

suites running $875 per day. We visited one of the single rooms, and it was similar to a

clean, comfortable budget hotel: wood floor, microwave, chairs, sofa, and other amenities

that patients – and no doubt their visitors – take full advantage of.

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Photo credited to Bumrungrad International Hospital

Photo credited to Bumrungrad International Hospital

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Photo credited to Bumrungrad International Hospital

One reason why medical tourism in Thailand is so popular is because of the array of

hospitals excelling in not only essential treatments, but also “elective” ones such as dental

care and cosmetic/plastic surgery. According to Wissanun Kunplin, our PR contact, BIH

provides a full range of tertiary healthcare services with over 80 clinical specialties and

subspecialties, with the majority of international patients coming for advance treatments

and critical care.

We were also informed that the hospital sees one-million inpatient/outpatient visitors per

year, of which 40% are expats, tourists, and medical tourists for whom health screenings,

heart procedures, orthopaedics, and joint & spine treatments are most popular. Of those

overseas patients, the UAE provides the most of Asian countries, the USA is the leader

for Western countries, and the most popular treatments include health check-ups,

gastroenterology, Ob/Gyn, pediatrics, and general surgery.

When asked why Bumrungrad attracts so many overseas patients, Khun Wissanun

pointed to a variety of factors driving BIH’s popularity with medical tourists. Those arriving

from Southeast Asian countries tend to come because of BIH’s high-quality doctors,

nurses, staff, and the famous Thai hospitality; patients from the Middle East and East

Asian countries like Mongolia visit for the advanced care that they can’t find in their home

country; patients from Europe and other parts of the world with socialized medicine come

to avoid long wait times for things like knee replacements; and Americans are mainly

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5/3/2557 Bumrungrad International Hospital: What Makes it the World’s Top Medical Tourism Hospital? | Medical Tourism Blog

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motivated by cost savings.

Bumrungrad is anywhere from 50% to 80% less expensive than care in the U.S.A., but

medical tourism is about more than affordability. It’s about convenience, specialized

treatments, and receiving care for things one can’t get at home such as surrogacy or

stem cell therapy; and, it’s about excellent doctors, advanced technology, high service

standards, and an amazing vacation destination. What we’ve learned is that Bumrungrad

International Hospital in Bangkok covers it all, and in our next post we will look at the

special care BIH takes for their surprisingly large number of Arab and Muslim patients

from GCC countries (Gulf Cooperation Council).

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