ImagineHealth contributes to published research on Thailand's medical-tourism market

ImagineHealth Founder and CEO Henning Kalwa is a co-author of “Quantitative Research of Medical Tourism Market in Thailand,” an original research paper published in City Healthcare.

The paper examines the conditions that helped Thailand become one of the world's leading medical-tourism destinations and considers which elements of the country's experience may be relevant to the development of medical services for international patients elsewhere.

For ImagineHealth, contributing to the research was an opportunity to bring an on-the-ground industry perspective into a structured academic discussion about Thailand's healthcare, tourism and international patient ecosystem.

What the research examined

The study draws on official data from Thailand's Ministry of Public Health, World Bank reporting and research from Southeast Asia to analyse the development of Thailand's medical-tourism market and identify important areas of growth.

Its central finding is that Thailand's success cannot be attributed to one hospital, one treatment category or competitive pricing alone. It depends on an ecosystem that includes physicians, hospitals, patients, international accreditation organisations, assistance companies, medical-tourism facilitators, hospitality providers and government support.

The paper also considers the substantial threshold for entering the international medical-tourism market. Sustainable development requires legal, infrastructural, scientific and educational capabilities, together with mechanisms that protect patient safety across national, municipal and provider levels.

Why publication in City Healthcare matters

City Healthcare is a specialist scientific journal focused on healthcare organisation and health in major cities. This was not a promotional article or a company-sponsored report: the paper was published as original research in volume 5, issue 1 of the journal, on pages 41-53.

The publication has the international serial identifier ISSN 2713-2617 and a permanent Digital Object Identifier: 10.47619/2713-2617.zm.2024.v.5i1;41-53. These identifiers make the work formally traceable, citable and accessible within the academic record.

The full text is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence, giving healthcare leaders, researchers and other interested readers the opportunity to examine the methods, findings and references directly.

Thailand's strength is the complete ecosystem

Thailand combines qualified medical professionals, established private hospitals, competitive costs, hospitality expertise and a mature tourism infrastructure. Yet the research makes clear that these strengths create the greatest value when they work together.

An international patient journey begins before a traveller arrives and continues after treatment. Clear information, medical review, scheduling, interpretation, accommodation, transportation, continuity and culturally aware support all influence the quality and safety of the experience.

This ecosystem perspective remains highly relevant as Thailand expands from established medical travel into preventive health, medical wellness and longevity. The opportunity is not simply to offer more services, but to connect them through trusted, patient-centred pathways.

A genuinely collaborative publication

This research was made possible through collaboration between healthcare researchers in Moscow and market practitioners in Thailand.

We extend our sincere thanks to lead author Galina D. Petrova and co-author Evgeny V. Chernyshev of the Research Institute for Healthcare Organization and Medical Management of the Moscow Healthcare Department. Their academic leadership and healthcare-systems expertise provided the foundation for the study.

We also thank Julie Lo Smithgul, who contributed from ImagineHealth in Thailand. Bringing together these complementary perspectives allowed the paper to connect structured research with practical experience of Thailand's international healthcare market.

From research to responsible market development

Research is valuable when it improves the quality of the conversation and informs practical decisions. The paper reinforces several principles that continue to guide ImagineHealth's work: medical tourism depends on trust, quality cannot be separated from the wider client journey and meaningful market development requires cooperation across sectors.

ImagineHealth works between international demand and Thailand's healthcare, longevity, wellness and hospitality landscape. We help organisations understand the market, identify credible relationships and move suitable opportunities forward with the local context they require.

Readers can download the complete paper through the link above. We welcome dialogue with healthcare organisations, researchers and partners interested in Thailand's medical-tourism and longevity economy.