Thonburi Hospital Plc yesterday celebrated its 30th anniversary by announcing it would invest Bt900 million in new infrastructure and facilities over the next two years in hopes of attracting more medical tourists.
CEO Chalermkul Apibunyopas said the hospital planned to increase the proportion of expatriates and medical tourists it treats from 7 per cent currently to 10 per cent by the end of the year, which would be double the percentage of foreign patients treated last year.
He admitted this was a bold target given that the hospital is some distance away from the city centre but said the hospital had been marketing itself aggressively through various Bangkok hotels and especially over the Internet.
Thonburi's ambitions received a boost from publicity it received last month for its treatment of an Arkansas man who went to the hospital for hip-replacement surgery. The American told newspapers how he paid US$16,200 (Bt561,000) - including airfare and minor dental work - for the whole treatment, as opposed to $100,00 to $150,000 that it would have cost in the US for the surgery alone.
Thonburi Hospital last year also helped out Piyavate Hospital - a sister hospital in the same group - by treating some Omani patients that Piyavate could not accommodate.
Chalermkul said with 435 beds currently and an additional 32 new Intensive Care Unit beds and 150 outpatient rooms to be completed soon, Thonburi was better positioned to attract a greater number of quality patients. He is looking to attract more higher-income patients from the B+ income category.
The hospital's growth strategy is to increase the number of patients it can accommodate - it now has parking for 600 cars - and reduce patient waiting time, with 45 minutes as the benchmark for a routine medical check-up involving one doctor. The CEO believes this will also allow the hospital to keep its medical fees down.
Thonburi recorded revenues of Bt2.025 billion last year: Bt1.950 billion from medical services and Bt75 million from investments in small upcountry hospitals.
Source: The Nation
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