Increasing numbers of medical tourists are travelling to Thailand for their treatment, so much so that three of the country’s biggest hospitals are having to prepare themselves for the rush. Over the next three to five years the number of people opting to receive medical care abroad is expected to increase significantly, meaning that some clinics are now extending their buildings to house more beds and patients as well as both upgrading and increase the number of medical facilities available. This can only be good news for people with private medical insurance, especially those with a cash plan policy who can use their lump sum cash payment to cover the cost of medical care wherever they see fit – whether that be in a private or even NHS hospital in the UK or in one of the world’s finest hospitals abroad.

Thailand’s three biggest clinics, Bumrungrad Hospital, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS) and Piyavate Hospital are not the only ones to be expanding their services however. Other health care centres are also improving their services and facilities in the aim of qualifying for accreditation by the American-based Joint Commission International. Again this has its advantages for private health insurance policy holders who would like to travel abroad for their treatment but may not be able to afford to stay at one of the main hospitals. It also means that there is more choice between good quality clinics.

About 1.4 million people decided to go to Thailand for healthcare last year alone, and although it could still be classed as a developing country it has many attractions – the main one being the low cost of treatment. Figures suggest that similar treatment in America can cost up to five times more than in Thailand. The credit crunch has not put developers off expanding clinics either and they remain confident that they can benefit from the situation as patients and private medical insurance holders in countries like America and Britain begin to look for cheaper options.

Sickness is a big problem for many of the UK’s employers with many days lost each year costing them significant amounts of money. A new government scheme is aiming to try and get people back to work in a shorter time but it seems that it may have its flaws. The plans to introduce ‘fit notes’ mean that a GP can issue a list of jobs that a person is able to carry out safely without making their illness any worse meaning that they can return to work even if not fully recovered. However, one expert, BUPA medical director Dr. Andrew Vallance-Owen, has suggested that GPs are ill-equipped to carry out this health assessment and it is just another added pressure on their already limited time. Not only will this mean that it could be even harder for a person to get an appointment with their doctor but their fit note could be inaccurate. People may be advised to get a quote for private medical insurance to ensure that they have access to a doctor in the shortest amount of time and avoid waiting even longer.

Occupational health specialists may be more appropriately placed than GPs to issue such ‘fit notes’, but gaining access to these on the NHS may be a difficult and lengthy process. Private medical insurance policy holders will be able to see a specialist within a shorter amount of time, with more ease and in a time and place convenient to them. They will then be able to return to work sooner and save themselves money they would have lost from sick-days. They will also have a more accurate fit note which will make sure that they do not carry out any tasks which could cause them to be ill again. In a recent survey, BUPA found that two thirds of employers think occupational health specialists are better equipped to deal with ‘fit notes’ than GPs.