Medical Hub Crops Up Again

The latest "in" term heard in Thailand at the moment is "medical hub". Most of you will have heard it on a variety of news websites over the last week or so.

Where has the term arisen from?

Well to put it simply, the authorities want Thailand to provide a service in hospitals that will be unrivalled by Asian countries. They want to attract people from Cambodia, Laos, China, Myanmar and Vietnam who require medical treatment.

To make it more appealing they will introduce a 90 day visa for anyone undergoing hospital treatment in the Kingdom. The current limit is 30 days.

Thanasak Patimaprakorn, Deputy Goverment Minister for Thailand said it will increase the income of the country by attracting people in need of specialist services that hospital in Thailand can provide.

He referred to Thailand as a "Medical Hub".

In addition the ten year visa plan was also mentioned, which would apply to people from 14 countries including the UK and USA and some European nations.

But there is a catch for anyone thinking this could be what you have been waiting for.

Applicants will have to either have and retain three million baht in a Thai bank account or prove they have an income of over 100,000 baht per month. You also must be over the age of 50 and have ample health insurance.

There is a possibility that the visa could be extended to partners and dependents.

Ten year visa holders will still have to report to immigration every 90 days.

All very interesting from The Pattaya Visa Shops perspective, who will of course be offering the new visa services, if and when they become available.

Source: Thai Visa