Chiang Mai Medical Tourism

As a medical tourism destination, Chiang Mai is often overshadowed by the excellent medical facilities in the Thai capital, Bangkok. Yet this cultural hotpot has a first-class array of medical facilities of its own and the infrastructure to ensure medical tourists receive quality treatment.

The city has more than a dozen private and government-run hospitals as well as many private clinics specializing in everything from laser eye surgery to cosmetic surgery and dental care. Medical tourists typically seek treatment at the better equipped private hospitals, with the government-run facilities mainly catering to locals and having longer waiting times.

Doctors at the private hospitals, which are used to catering to medical tourist, speak English and equipment at these hospitals is modern and in some cases state-of-the-art. Several Chiang Mai hospitals offer special packages to medical tourists including check up services. Most hospitals have a range of hospital accommodation options and are able to assist patients in booking hotels.

Chiang Mai Ram 1 Hospital is the most popular private facility in Chiang Mai. It serves patients with cardiac care, cosmetic surgery, gender reassignment, knee replacement and other specialized medical treatments and has English speaking visitor staff on hand to assist foreign medical tourists.

Other major Chiang Mai hospitals with good facilities for medical tourists and treatments at a fraction of the price of those in Europe or the US include Lanna Hospital, McCormick Hospital, St Peter Eye Hospital, Rajavej Chiang Mai Hospital and Chang Phuak Hospital.

Getting There

Chiang Mai is served by Chiang Mai International Airport, which is situated just a short drive from the old city and major hospitals. Although the airport receives a limited amount of regional international flights, most visitors connect to the city via a 1 hour, 10 minute flight from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, the country’s main air gateway.