Bangkok’s Bumrungrad Hospital has been treating up to 300 Myanmar patients each month via their branch in Yangon.

I WAS almost hit by a red robot in Singapore’s Tan Tock Seng hospital a couple of years ago – but thankfully it spotted me in advance, stopping and letting me pass.

It was the first of many glimpses I got of a hospital that puts patients, or customers, in first place. The robot was one of about 20 on duty that day, carrying meals to more than 1000 patients. It could remember each patient’s dietary needs; this patient doesn’t eat beef, that one is allergic to a certain spice and so on.

Another surprise was that the hospital did not smell the way you would normally expect, with the scent of disinfectant and medicine in the air.

Instead, the rooms made me feel as though I was in a hotel, which might be the reason some modern hospitals are nicknamed “hospitels”.

In the wards for children, the rooms are specially tailored to make the kids feel like they’re at home. In the labour room there are big televisions, while there is a big clock in every ICU so when the curtain is pulled, the patient can still know what time of day it is.

This is an example of the market economy functioning effectively and efficiently in the healthcare service industry and is particularly evident in our neighbouring countries – but is of benefit to Myanmar as well.

Despite the fact that the public healthcare system here still needs to be dramatically improved, Myanmar is, at least to a certain extent, enjoying the fruits of the market economy’s effect on the healthcare service sector.

There are now about a dozen branches or referral centres here linked to hospitals or clinics in neighbouring countries including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China and India.

Having these branches means Myanmar residents can have access to institutions where they can receive either medical treatment or just regular checkups.

Most of the managers of branches in Yangon say they are happy with the current market situation and are optimistic about the industry’s future in Myanmar despite different market segmentations.

Deputy director of the marketing department of Raffles Hospital in Singapore, Dr Saw Chit Aung, said medical tourism today was a rapidly-growing phenomenon and there were too many players trying to cash in on the bonanza.

“Statistics indicate that each year the number of patients going to Singapore as a whole and to Raffles Hospital has been growing steadily,” he said.

“Looking back over the past three or four years the rise in patients coming from Myanmar has grown steadily – by about 20-25 percent each year. From the approximately 120 nationalities that come to Raffles for admission and specialist consultations, Myanmar used to rank at the lower end of the top 20 nationals. But, at last count, they have now moved up to around 11th position,” he told The Myanmar Times last week.

“While they still have many choices in terms of destination – those who seek the best and most reliable would still prefer to come to Singapore as a first choice and the major limitation would be the overall cost,” said Dr Saw Chit Aung.

He said popular markets in the East include India, Thailand and Singapore while Malaysia was also enjoying a fair amount of medical tourism business.

“For Myanmar patients who need to travel the fortunate few with insurance policies usually opt for higher-end services in Singapore, while those who need to be careful with their finances generally choose the relatively cheaper options in Thailand and India,” he said.

“Some also go to Malaysia and it may also be influenced by specific medical conditions. For example, renal transplant patients prefer India or even China, where donor kidneys can be available for a price and the overall cost is much lower,” said Dr Saw Chit Aung.

“Singapore, as one of the more prominent and reliable medical hubs of the region, also attracts most of the affluent society from Myanmar. Then there are those who value safety and reliability over price and so also choose Singapore as their destination,” he said, adding that about 70 patients from Myanmar are visiting Raffles Hospital every month.

“Most of them also benefit from the fact that we have Myanmar staff and Myanmar nurses to assist them. The majority may come for general surgical and medical conditions but many also see the orthopedic, cardiac and obstetrician and gynaecological specialists,” said Dr Saw Chit Aung.

According to Dr Aung Pyi Tun, a director of the Mascot, one of the branches of Singapore’s National Healthcare Group, Myanmar people more often choose Bangkok as their medical destination for both treatment and regular checkups.

“I think each branch from Bangkok is getting about 300 patients every month for treatment, while the number of patients going through the branches like ours is only about 30 patients,” said Dr Aung Pyi Tun.

While it is difficult to know whether more people are going to Bangkok or Singapore for medical treatment, he said, those who are going to Bangkok require more services, such as translation.

Those who get treatment in Singapore often do not need to go through a branch like Mascot as they already have friends and family in Singapore and the language barrier is not so much of a problem.

The manager of the Yangon branch for Bumrungrad Hospital, Daw Hla Kae Khine Aye, said about 300 people from Myanmar travel to the hospital every month via her branch.

“Between 200 to 300 patients each month – mostly foreign residents – are receiving treatment at Bumrungrad, which opened its branch here in 1999,” said Daw Hla Kae Khine Aye.

A co-ordinating medical consultant from Myanmar for Bangkok’s Praram 9 Hospital, Dr Nellie Khin Than Aye, also said the medical tourism had been growing rapidly in the past two to three years. She said patients in need of advanced medical treatment often choose to go abroad instead of staying in the country for treatment.

“Currently, Singapore and Bangkok are the most-chosen countries for this purpose. Now, it is quite popular to go to these countries,” she said.
Hospital agencies facilitate a smooth transfer for the patient from Yangon to their destination. They often organise travel documents, air ticketing, appointments with doctors, translators, accommodation and an airport pickup service. Some agencies even include an accompanying doctor for the trip, he said.

Dr Nellie said there are about 30 patients from Myanmar every month being referred to Praram 9 Hospital through her referral centre alone. Most of these are for major treatment, like kidney transplants, cardiac problems, liver problems, orthopaedics but also for medical checkups.