IVD/MD Asian Working Group Emerging Market Research ReportCountry of Visit : Thailand
Time of Visit :March 2015

Visitor: Two representatives from JACRI
Two representatives from JAIMA
Two representatives from OMETA
Visiting sites: Thai MOH, Japan Embassy in Thailand, JETRO Bangkok,
Ramatibody Hospital, Samitivej Hospital and other organizations
Information obtained<Basic data, information on medical-care in Thailand>- There seemed to be an issue on the disparity of medical care between
urban areas and rural areas.

This issue seemed to be an issue ofgovernmental policy.
- Population of Thailand :66 million (2014)- Average life expectancy:

71.7 years old- Aging of population:

It is predicted that 15.3% of the total population will

be an age over 60 years old in 2020.
- Therefore, amplification/ upgrading and expanding of social security
system for elderly are required.
- There seemed to be an issue on the disparity of medical care level between
urban area and rural area.
- Private big hospitals which are mainly located in big cities have the newest
medical devices based on the newest medical technologies and thatwealthy class population can utilize those high level medical care.
But public hospitals located in rural areas seemed to serve only limited
level of medical care to those people in those rural areas.
- Number of public hospitals :about 1,000 (2014)

- Number of private hospitals: about 400 (2014)- Lack of doctors, 0.41 per capita 1,000 (2014)- This rate is about 1/6 of Japan.
- Public medical service hierarchy:
Primary medical service: Health centers in rural and local area
Secondary medical service: Local hospitals, Local general hospitals, localprivate hospitals
Tertiary medical service: General hospitals, University hospitals, Specialhospitals and big hospitals in urban area.
- Public health insurance system:
There are the following 3 types.
CSMBS: Mainly for Public servant, about 8% out of total nation
SSS: Mainly for company workers, about 15% out of total nation
UC : Mainly for farmers, individual proprietors, about 77% of total nation- Private health insurance system:
Percentage of the private health insurance fee out of total national healthexpenditure has been increasing.

5% (1998) → 8%(2010)The target layer of the population are the upper 15% out of total nation who
have over U$1,000 income/ month and the second upper 20% out of total
population who have over U$500 income/ month.
- Reimbursement system: Depend on the above three type of Public medical
service system, there are difference of availability of medical service anddifference of payment for it.
- Private medical service:There are 17 private hospitals which have over 250 beds. 14 hospitals outof 17 are located in Bangkok city area.
- Medical tourism:
Since 2004 after Thai government policy of medical tourism, over 2.5
million foreign patients (2012 data) have been coming to Thailand to havemedical service such as general medical care, cosmetic surgery,
gender-translation surgery, dental care, orthopedic surgery, cardiac
surgery.
As its trend, the number of patients from foreign countries for this medical
tourism has been increasing year by year.

Most of those patients comefrom Japan, USA, China, Taiwan, UK, Germany, South Africa and Middle
East countries.
Year# of patients

Earning (Baht)

Countries of patients2008

No data

52 billion Baht

No data2009

No data

58 billion Baht

No data2010

198 million

78.7 billion Baht

JP*, ASEAN, ME*, US, UK2011

224 million

97.9 billion Baht

JP*, ASEAN, ME*, US, UK

2012

253 million

1,21.7 billion Baht

JP*, US, UK, GCC*,Australia

2016

No data

2,520 billion Baht

No dataprediction*：JP: Japan,ME: Middle East countries

GCC: Gulf Cooperation Council- Adverse effect of Medical tourism: Because of the newest and high level
medical care based on the newest high level medical devices, many
doctors have been moving to the big private hospitals from public hospitals.

- Thai government policy :In order to be a center place of the Asian medical service, Thai government
emphasizes the following points:

1) Thailand to be a center place to provide all type of medical services.
2) As the center place of medical services, Thailand will provide Spa
services and includes medical tourism services.
3) To promote Thailand as the center of academy on medical services.
4) To become a basis of production of medicines and health relatedproducts.

In order realize those above policies, Thailand Investment Agency (BOI)
have agreed to give special privilege to medical service providingorganizations to eliminate tax and preferential treatment of import tax on
imported medicines and raw materials of medicines.
About 60 % of the investment from foreign country is taken by Japanesecompanies and the expectation to Japan by Thai government is high.
- Thai Medical Devices Market growth prediction:
It is said that the predicted annual growth rate is about 13.7% during periodof 2012 (U$1.05 billion ) - 2108 (U$2.3 billion).

- Countries of Medical devices Export and Import：
About 60% of all domestic needs of medical devices have been imported.
Main countries of Medical Devices import are; USA 28.7% (U$ 2.4 billion ),Japan 14% (U$1.2 billion) (2012 data)
Main Export countries of Medical Devices are Japan (U$2.09 billion) andUSA (U$2.08 billion). (2012 data)- Main importing Medical Device:
The main importing Medical Device is diagnostic Imaging Medical Device.
(about 31.5% of total Thai Medical Device market) The major country of thisdiagnostic Imaging Medical Device is USA. (2011 data)
Medical Devices manufacturers in Thailand：
Manufacturers of IVD field are Roche, Abbott, Siemens, Beckman, BioRadfrom Europe and USA.

Major IVD Manufacturers from Japan are

Olympus, Horiba, Sysmex, Fujifilm etc.
Trend of medical doctors’ overseas education:
Many of Thai students want to go to USA or Europe for their medical doctor
education.
<Other information from Thai visit>- Japanese Chamber of Commerce, Bangkok：
They were preparing to newly organize subcommittee named “Medicinesand medical care” in the “Chemical committee”.
Note: Data, figures and statistical data described in this market research
report has been sourced from the information of JETRO Bangkok, JapanEmbassy and other meeting sites/ organization.

< Courtesy call to MOH Thailand>
From our side, we have explained to the officer about the new Japan law“MD Act”.
From MOH side, they have explained to us about the current situation andnear future plan to implement AMDD: ASEAN Medical Device Directive
which had been agreed among all ASEAN member countries in 2014.