Driving Thai health services: Focus on South Asia's market
Thailand's Ministry of Public Health pushes its 'Medical Economy' by targeting South Asia, which has millions of high-spending clients. The private sector confirms strong growth.
- Thailand's Ministry of Public Health is partnering with private hospitals to accelerate its "Medical Economy" policy by promoting the country's advanced health services internationally.
- The primary new target market is South Asia, specifically countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, which represent an estimated 40 million people with purchasing power.
- A joint government-private sector committee is being formed to address key obstacles, particularly streamlining visa processes to compete with rivals like Singapore and Malaysia.
- The strategy also involves promoting Thai traditional medicine and encouraging medical visitors to engage in tourism to maximize economic benefits.
At the Ministry of Public Health, Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat stated after a meeting with the Private Hospital Association on October 22, 2025, that the Medical Economy is a key policy the MOPH is implementing.
Thailand's public health and medical sector is a strong industry, advanced in both technology and medical services.
Thai treatment standards, facilities, doctors, and nurses are highly regarded. This effort has always been satisfactorily supported by and collaborated with the private sector.
Minister Pattana explained that the health economy policy aims to "step on the accelerator" to ensure smoother and faster progress. They have invited the private sector to explore new markets, including promoting Thai traditional medicine, where the country has specialised knowledge, to foreign countries.
This has received interest from the private sector, which is already active in several international markets, though some limitations remain.
Many discussion topics provided opportunities for beneficial collaboration.
The MOPH can join the private sector in joint market penetration and overcoming various limitations, such as visa application times, verification of genuine patients, or 'upselling', encouraging patients to also engage in tourism or other activities alongside their medical treatment.
Ultimately, the goal is for the public health sector, encompassing medical treatment services, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies, to become a significant driver of the economy.
When asked about the new target markets, Pattana pointed to South Asia first, citing countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives. These nations are about a 3 to 3.5-hour flight away and represent an interesting market.
The combined population of these 3-4 countries is approximately 300-400 million people, of which they estimate about 10%, around 40 million people, have the necessary purchasing power.
"This is an attractive market, and this group of markets has very good relations with Thailand. This initiative can be driven forward immediately by establishing a joint working committee between the government and the private sector. We will collaboratively resolve any existing legal or regulatory issues," Minister Pattana concluded.
Dr Paiboon Eksaengsri, President of the Private Hospital Association, commented on proposals from the private sector, mentioning obstacles such as visa and immigration issues.
Despite some countries having visa-free entry, the time limitations for visa applications for patients from certain nations cause them to choose other countries with faster visa processing, as these patients have the means to choose.
He stated that adjusting these restrictions would be a critical factor in attracting patients from competitors in the global market, such as Singapore, Malaysia, and India.
Dr Paiboon added that the Thai healthcare service industry excels in quality treatment at accessible prices. Removing certain obstacles would significantly boost efforts to draw people to receive services in Thailand, an industry valued at 400–500 billion baht before the Covid-19 pandemic, but one that has not been aggressively pursued as it should be.
He praised the MOPH for inviting stakeholders to discuss challenges and for committing to act as a 'facilitator' in various processes to push for a Medical Hub and strengthen the Medical Economy as a national priority for generating revenue. He agreed that the target markets of Central and South Asia show a growing trend.
"A joint working committee is being set up to help oversee and resolve visa issues and other operational hurdles. For instance, regarding visas for those seeking wellness services, we need to clarify if obtaining a visa for preventative healthcare will be easier, or if they will still need to travel on a tourist visa," said Dr Paiboon.
