BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand’s rich culture, beautiful landscapes and distinctive cuisine aren’t the only reasons why tourists keep flocking to the country.
Thailand has been leading Asia in medical tourism, with more than a million foreigners travel to that country every year for medical and surgical procedures.
For years, the Thai government has established policies to develop the country into a leading global medical and wellness hub.
Priorities primarily include inviting international patients to experience Thai medical care, strengthening private and public health sectors and promoting wellness services such as preventive care, rehabilitation, and traditional Thai medicine.
The policy also supports industries such as medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology, medical research, education, and innovation.
Private and public healthcare sectors work hand-in-hand with the government to offer competitive packages to ease international patients’ access to the services offered.
A patient who signs on to a medical tourism package in Thailand typically follows a structured process before, during, and after treatment.
It covers initial inquiry and consultation all the way to travel planning, arrival, treatment, recovery and home return.
“We could arrange a lot in the process. We could do the medical visa into coming into Thailand and also some of the scheduling so we could arrange the check up and also the hospitality like where do you stay and the doctor and the therapist coming to treat you,” Pattana Promphat, Thailand Ministry of Health chief, told Filipino reporters on the sidelines of the International Healthcare Week (IHL) 2026 held at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok.
Prompath said Thailand’s medical tourism does not only address the problem but offer holistic wellness services, including preventive care, rehabilitation, and traditional Thai medicine.
“We are not only looking at how to fix the problem but we are moving on to prevention as well so a lot of wellness and medical tourism,” he said.
“When they go out of Thailand to where they come from, we could have the arrangement that they could come back a few months later to check up so they would know what their conditions are,” Prompath said.
“We are not restricting them from living their life,” he said.
Compared to other countries, Thailand offers high-quality healthcare and internationally accredited hospitals, lower treatment costs compared with many Western countries and shorter waiting times.
Validating Thailand’s claim as the premier medical destination is its hosting of the IHL 2026, one of its largest healthcare and medical industry events, on July 8 to 10, bringing together over 1,200 companies, healthcare and medical industry experts from over 100 countries to create opportunities for trade, investment and business collaborations.
The event was organized by Informa Markets.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul emphasized that hosting the event is not only a milestone for Thailand but also a direct alignment with the government’s key policy.
“We are fully committed to driving the medical and healthcare industry as a key new growth engine. Our goal is clear: to position Thailand as a world-class global medical hub by raising product standards, driving innovative healthcare service, and boosting economic value within the healthcare economy across all dimensions,” Charnivirakul said.
He, however, believes present economic challenges cannot be addressed by one country alone. “True success requires international cooperation. This event demonstrates collaboration across the entire medical industry supply chain, from upstream to downstream,” he said.
“The business negotiations and partnerships established here will help create greater stability, prosperity and sustainability through tangible cooperation in healthcare and technology,” he said.
