Medical tourism: Getting vaccinated in Bangkok is better

The words “Thailand" and “medical tourism” go together like mosquitoes and Japanese encephalitis. Anyone familiar with Bangkok's private hospitals, from Bumrungrad  to BNH, know they're going to get internationally trained doctors, cutting-edge technology and, more importantly, Starbucks and McDonalds.

But there are still doubters who view Thailand's private heathcare services in a dubious light, imagining shady backroom facilities where sinister-looking doctors (think Dr. Nick Riviera from "The Simpsons") with dubious medical degrees created on Khao San Road perform surgeries with rusty scalpels and an open textbook beside the gurney.

And you usually hear about medical tourism in the context of hip replacements, heart transplants, cancer treatments, sex changes or nose jobs. Fancy a bit of liposuction, followed by a week of recovery on the beach? No problem. Easily arranged.

But U.S. internet site “Digital Democracy,” started by a group of tech-fanatic Americans working to empower communities with digital technologies to promote education, looks at a different way for travelers to save a few bucks: vaccinations (see above video). They've also exposed something us Bangkokians already know: Bangkok’s hospitals are incredible.