Bangkok Hospital (BGH), a private hospital under Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, expects Thailand's medical and wellness businesses to record gradual growth in the post-Covid-19 period.
The positive outlook comes after the reopening of the country, allowing more foreign visitors to travel to the country, benefitting the medical and wellness sectors, said Kriengkrai Hengrussamee, director of Bangkok Heart Hospital, a unit of BGH.
"Many foreign patients wanted to be treated at our hospital, but they could not travel to Thailand during the pandemic," he said.
BGH expects foreign patients to make up 50% of all its patients at the end of this year.
At present, the proportion of foreign patients, who mostly come from the Middle East and Asean members such as Cambodia and Myanmar, accounts for 40% of the total, with 60% being locals.
The proportion of foreign patients depends on many factors, including economic conditions.
"During a good economy worldwide, the proportion has even made up 80%," said Dr Kriengkrai.
Speaking during World Heart Day on Thursday, Dr Kriengkrai said BGH aims to further develop its medical services, especially the treatment of heart diseases. The hospital will apply new technologies that can help patients recover faster.
Heart diseases are currently among the four major illnesses and injuries treated at the country's hospitals. The other three are cancer, Covid-19 and accident-related injuries.
According to BGH, Thailand reports 430,000 patients with heart disease per year, with the fatality rate standing at 20,000 patients per year.
Globally, the number of patients suffering with a heart disorder currently stands at 18.6 million. Most of the patients are low and middle-income earners.
"At BGH, we treat around 400 heart disease patients a day," said Dr Kriengkrai.
"The numbers are high. We want people to take better care of their health by doing exercise, avoiding smoking and reducing their alcohol intake, all of which can help prevent heart disease."