Year long "Medical Visa" proposed to make Thailand top ten for Medical Tourism

[MaksimMislavsky]

19 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

i am now confused

was not the same guys complaining some months ago about the 

financial burden of unpaid bills lets by the tourists in the thailand's hospitals

almost to the point where they threatened all the medical system?

This time bills will likely have to be paid in advance

[bkk6060]

7 hours ago, BestB said:

Sorry I misspelled , meant to say private hospital not public 

Does not matter as from my experience your comments are inaccurate and actually extremely irresponsible.

Have you every used the Thai hospital system and made a comparison or just making a guess based on your negativity toward Thailand?

Well, I have and have an upcoming issue that will require hospitalization.

 

The Thai private hospital (Bangkok Hospital) cost for everything is 1/3 of the US.

Just an example a private room overnight stay here is about $200 US here.

The US price is well over $1,000.

 

So, your comments that a private hospital here compared to western is as expensive or more are false and very irresponsible and misleading to someone who is considering coming here for a medical issue.

 

 

[TSF]

7 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Does not matter as from my experience your comments are inaccurate and actually extremely irresponsible.

Have you every used the Thai hospital system and made a comparison or just making a guess based on your negativity toward Thailand?

Well, I have and have an upcoming issue that will require hospitalization.

 

The Thai private hospital (Bangkok Hospital) cost for everything is 1/3 of the US.

Just an example a private room overnight stay here is about $200 US here.

The US price is well over $1,000.

 

So, your comments that a private hospital here compared to western is as expensive or more are false and very irresponsible and misleading to someone who is considering coming here for a medical issue.

 

 

Couple years back I was having a conversation with a few expats, I made a negative comment about Thai medical standards and one of the group took me to task. He went into detail about a recent op he'd had, and he had nothing but praise for the docs, and the price was great compared to what he'd have to pay back home. Then he went on to tell us that after the op the staff told him that after he was anesthetized and they started the procedure they needed some machine/equipment and went to get it, only to find that it had been lent out to another hospital. So they kept this foreigner anesthetized on the table for an hour or so while one of the staff went off in his car to the other hospital to get the machine. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if the person who went off to get the machine stopped off on the way back for a bowl of noodles.

 

These are things to consider for "someone who is considering coming here for a medical issue."

[Destiny1990]

a real true hub !

[owenm]

5 hours ago, ThomasThBKK said:

 

 

Ahhh yeah the good arab first world countries that don't treaten security... meanwhile this EXCLUDES germany, uk, switzerland, norway etc?? <deleted>

 

I am confused, the whole article is lousy written, who can enlighten me?

Hasn't the USA had a travel ban on many Arab citizens because it sees them as a major security risk?

And also other western passport travellers that show recent travel also to certain Arab countries.. 

 

Thailand is always worried about national security but happy to open the doors to these six Arab countries, not listed, but exclude many 1st western countries in the medical visa program.. 

 

 

[overherebc]

3 hours ago, sambum said:

"It's only a broken leg lad - run it off!"

Were you in the army as well? ????????.

Keep going lad, you still got one good leg.

[johnarth]

something very wrong here only weeks ago the health department said it must rise farang charges by 3% even more to cover the great loss from farangs pissing off without paying their bill these people must not know that so who is who?

[JAG]

6 hours ago, hobz said:

What about medical marijuana visa?? Or how about recreational marijuana visa? THAT would bring lots tourists and they wouldn't harm a fly.

Off topic I know but I have limited periphial vision in my left eye after being repeatedly kicked in the head by two thugs stoned on their home grown ganja. I was the taxi driver who wouldn't turn off the meter and give them a free ride. The police explained that such psychopathic violence was not uncommon from habitual users. I'm reminded of this every time I read that marijuana users wouldn't hurt a fly!

[onera1961]

Juast like the Ed visa, this will open up a cottage industry of pay for medical visa for farangs wanting to visit brothels and sex mongering. Why don't they just give a sex mongering one year visa. Shame to you Thailand. 

[ericthai]

6 hours ago, Thaidream said:

The O-X Visa was touted as the answer to long stays and those needing long term medical care.  Once the  requirements were announced- not very appealing to the average long stay person-  I can remember only 1 member of this forum who has the O-X and I seriously doubt  there are many issued.

 

The article itself tells the  real reason why this Visa will be developed- to attract High Income foreigners. and guess what the requirements will be similar to the O-X with large sums in the bank; med insurance from a Thai provider and some type of documentation from a doctor.

 

I would be extremely surprised if the Non O-MT Visa  will ever want to be used  in place of the  OA or a normal extension of stay.

 

They never seem to want to develop any type of long stay visa for the Digital Nomads which would bring in huge numbers and replace their lagging tourist numbers . The officials have no concept of real entreprenurship or knowledge transfer.

 

They never seem able to develop a real Marriage Visa or extension which allows permanency to people who have relocated to Thailand with their Thai spouses.  In America, I can bring my Thai spouse and in 2 years obtain perment residency for her by having the equivalent of $25,000 in cash; income or using assets like a house or condo. My wife can purchase land; get the same benefits all US citizens get. No reciprocity in Thailand/

 

How about a fiance visa for people engaged to marry Thai citizens- 

 

IMO- more hot air rather than real immigration  reform.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can get PR in Thailand, several of my friends in Thailand have received PR and citizenship.  My friend that got citizenship can own land. 

[Dumbastheycome]

12 hours ago, mikebell said:

Expats from Europe who have or will soon, evacuate to Vietnam?

How does a wheelchair-bound geriatric struggling along Thailand's sidewalks threaten infrastructure?

Law suits  for  being  flicked out onto the street  and  under a  bus for  claimed  but non present  wheelchair accessibility ?

[Caine]

Ill stick with the NHS, thank you very much.

[tomazbodner]

8 hours ago, Thaidream said:

They never seem to want to develop any type of long stay visa for the Digital Nomads which would bring in huge numbers and replace their lagging tourist numbers . The officials have no concept of real entreprenurship or knowledge transfer.

 

They never seem able to develop a real Marriage Visa or extension which allows permanency to people who have relocated to Thailand with their Thai spouses.  In America, I can bring my Thai spouse and in 2 years obtain perment residency for her by having the equivalent of $25,000 in cash; income or using assets like a house or condo. My wife can purchase land; get the same benefits all US citizens get. No reciprocity in Thailand/

 

How about a fiance visa for people engaged to marry Thai citizens- 

 

IMO- more hot air rather than real immigration  reform.

How about applying for a Thai PR or citizenship? Thailand has several ways for foreigners to apply for permanent residence and Thai citizenship, though they generally involve having to work in a job with decent salary and beneficial to Thai society (drug dealer and mamasan are probably excluded), being able to have a communication in Thai language, and paying taxes. Citizenship application if you're married to a Thai is only 250$ or less and you don't have to show 25k in cash. And once you get citizenship you can buy land also.

 

Why exactly should Thailand embrace digital nomads, though? People who work without permission, pay no taxes, and eat away the jobs of locals? What knowledge transfer do digital nomads do? Any foreigner with BOI sponsored work permit must conduct training for Thais several times a year and provide training chart (list of people trained along with what they were trained on, when, duration of training, etc.) with work permit extension application... Is that good enough for a concept of knowledge transfer?

 

Maybe US doesn't understand concept of real entrepreneurship either. They keep on arresting and deporting these darn Mexican nomads who live and work there without papers. US just doesn't value their skills. Can you imagine how much better off US would be if pure breed Americans learned how to roll burritos?

 

Geez...

[hobz]

4 hours ago, JAG said:

Off topic I know but I have limited periphial vision in my left eye after being repeatedly kicked in the head by two thugs stoned on their home grown ganja. I was the taxi driver who wouldn't turn off the meter and give them a free ride. The police explained that such psychopathic violence was not uncommon from habitual users. I'm reminded of this every time I read that marijuana users wouldn't hurt a fly!

Ofcourse there's always outliers. But in general it's Still true.

[captpkapoor]

9 hours ago, tandor said:

..agreed..then they are up against all the viruses/bacteria/fungi...i would think very carefully before taking that step.

You're completely wrong. Most good private hospitals in India flooded with expat patients, so much so they have a desk near reception just for international patients, and sometimes an interpreter for Arabs etc, too.

[gk10002000]

16 hours ago, tracker1 said:

Might be better and less hassle then a retirement or retirement visa with the multi entry thrown in just wondering about the TM30 though will they be exempt 

yeah, many people have asked in some other threads about how and if hospitals are reporting foreigner stays on TM 30 or not

[Airalee]

7 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Does not matter as from my experience your comments are inaccurate and actually extremely irresponsible.

Have you every used the Thai hospital system and made a comparison or just making a guess based on your negativity toward Thailand?

Well, I have and have an upcoming issue that will require hospitalization.

 

The Thai private hospital (Bangkok Hospital) cost for everything is 1/3 of the US.

Just an example a private room overnight stay here is about $200 US here.

The US price is well over $1,000.

 

So, your comments that a private hospital here compared to western is as expensive or more are false and very irresponsible and misleading to someone who is considering coming here for a medical issue.

 

 

Just a yesterday, I corrected the same poster on the same claim and put up exact $(and ฿) figures comparing a gastroenterologist visit at UCLA vs Vichayut in BKK.  He didn’t even respond, yet repeats the same nonsense here today.  I even stated that I have many other examples.

 

oh...and a friend of mine recently (last year or two) stayed 2 nights in the hospital and the hospitals billing showed just over $4000/ night for a standard (non ICU) room.  Insane.

[Soikhaonoiken]

Me thinks they are now grasping at straws to boost income.... 

Any other bright ideas in the pipeline ????

[Number 6]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

countries that would be able to take advantage of the new visa would mostly be those from the first world that do not represent a threat to Thailand's national security or infrastructure. 

There is some serious paranoia going on in this country. You might argue an existential threat but to infrastructure??!!

 

Ironically, Thailand's BFF is China which is the nation that represents the largest threat to Thailand. Especially as it puts bases in to Kampong Som, Cambodia.

 

I would think those that could pose problems would be Arabs, Pakistani's, Iranians. The former due to ongoing issues in south Thailand refuses to settle. Recall that terrorist found on overstay? Iranians seem to run drugs a lot.

 

Just last month news article that foreigners will pay more for treatment. Tourists paying most.

 

I'm sure Thailand is cheaper but I also think there are huge problems in the system and mistakes are rife.

 

I was using a famous dental clinic for fifteen years. Finally told them to F off with their prices. To be fair they were imo the best. But the prices seemed to be near the US (20-30% less) once you factored in US malpractice insurance and sundry expenses. I'm not especially impressed.

 

[Number 6]

12 hours ago, Thaidream said:

The O-X Visa was touted as the answer to long stays and those needing long term medical care.  Once the  requirements were announced- not very appealing to the average long stay person-  I can remember only 1 member of this forum who has the O-X and I seriously doubt  there are many issued.

 

The article itself tells the  real reason why this Visa will be developed- to attract High Income foreigners. and guess what the requirements will be similar to the O-X with large sums in the bank; med insurance from a Thai provider and some type of documentation from a doctor.

 

I would be extremely surprised if the Non O-MT Visa  will ever want to be used  in place of the  OA or a normal extension of stay.

 

They never seem to want to develop any type of long stay visa for the Digital Nomads which would bring in huge numbers and replace their lagging tourist numbers . The officials have no concept of real entreprenurship or knowledge transfer.

 

They never seem able to develop a real Marriage Visa or extension which allows permanency to people who have relocated to Thailand with their Thai spouses.  In America, I can bring my Thai spouse and in 2 years obtain perment residency for her by having the equivalent of $25,000 in cash; income or using assets like a house or condo. My wife can purchase land; get the same benefits all US citizens get. No reciprocity in Thailand/

 

How about a fiance visa for people engaged to marry Thai citizens- 

 

IMO- more hot air rather than real immigration  reform.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't disagree with your sentiments but the amount of money to bring a spouse is far greater than 25k. Isn't it like 2.5x the poverty line or something like that?

[Thechook]

It wasn't that long ago they were the number 1 destination for medical tourism but they got greedy and increased the prices ten fold.  Their aim now is to make it into the top 10, won't happen as they have priced themselves out of the game and the baht is continuing to rise.

[gk10002000]

so a long term medical visa yet with unlimited exits and re-entries.  I guess that is a possibility if one was coming and going and returning home frequently.  But I would think that by the number if one is going to Thailand for a medical reason it is for treatment IN Thailand and one would not be traveling in and out of country a lot.

[gk10002000]

Just now, Thechook said:

It wasn't that long ago they were the number 1 destination for medical tourism but they got greedy and increased the prices ten fold.  Their aim now is to make it into the top 10, won't happen as they have priced themselves out of the game and the baht is continuing to rise.

Yep.  My first trip was in 2004. And for many years after that Thailand seemed to have all the goodies.  Now, not such a good deal

[loong]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Daily News said that 3.42 million tourists visited Thailand last year for medical reasons spending 28,000 million baht up around 6% on the previous year. 

So each medical tourist spent less than 9000 Baht (on average)??

[dogfish180]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

will not threaten Thailand's systems and infrastructure

 

[Momofarang]

When I got my Non-OA I had to provide a certificate to prove that didn't have Elephantiasis and/or 3 or 4 other ailments. So, if I applied for this new visa would I have to provide a certificate that I have Elephantiasis and/or other ailments? ????

 

But seriously this visa could be interesting for the guys who have made the move to Cambodia, Vietnam or Laos. ????????????

[emptypockets]

18 minutes ago, Momofarang said:

When I got my Non-OA I had to provide a certificate to prove that didn't have Elephantiasis and/or 3 or 4 other ailments. So, if I applied for this new visa would I have to provide a certificate that I have Elephantiasis and/or other ailments? ????

 

But seriously this visa could be interesting for the guys who have made the move to Cambodia, Vietnam or Laos. ????????????

Why would it interest them? Are they all sick? Or are you suggesting to start yet another plan to rort  the system? 

If they couldn't afford the relatively small amount to meet their visa/extension conditions it's doubtful they could pay for ongoing medical care which, no doubt,  will be a condition of the proposed MT visa. Assuming of course that are from the list of approved countries.

[tandor]

12 hours ago, captpkapoor said:

You're completely wrong. Most good private hospitals in India flooded with expat patients, so much so they have a desk near reception just for international patients, and sometimes an interpreter for Arabs etc, too.

..Im not wrong at all...infections is what Im talking about..and infections are rampant in any hospital, particularly those situated in a tropical location..it doesn't matter if they have interpreters, viruses and bacteria don't understand.

[justin case]

On 9/27/2019 at 8:34 AM, Pilotman said:

well they had better sort out the inconsistent and too high costs then, otherwise India will always be the first choice for many looking for high quality, cheaper medical services in Asia. The strong Baht is also not helping.   They may like to check on the qualifications of some of their so called 'consultants; too while they are at it. 

let's not forgot, in India you might have more chance to actually find an ENGLISH speaking MD

 

even the big expensive hospitals in bkk have MD's that quickly go speak Thai to your wife and let her explain ...  but but, they studied in USA .... did they just print a degree ?

[brokenbone]

11 hours ago, dogfish180 said:

 

fine workmanship i say