THE UTILIZATION OF HEALTH SERVICES AND MEDICAL TOURISM BY CHINESE IN THAILAND
คำสำคัญ:
Keywords: health service utilization behaviors , medical tourism behavior, Thailand-China Free Visa Policyบทคัดย่อ
The Thai government's temporary visa-free policy for Chinese citizens, initiated on September 25, 2023, has been a strategic move to elevate Thailand's health tourism and medical services, positioning it as a leading ASEAN hub. This study conducts descriptive research to understand the healthcare service utilization and medical tourism behavior of Chinese nationals residing in Bangkok and its vicinity. A random sample of 100 Chinese nationals was selected, and the sample size was determined using Taro Yamane's formula. The research utilized a questionnaire validated by experts and demonstrated high reliability with a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.975. Data analysis was performed through mean and percentage calculations. Key findings indicate that 93% of Chinese nationals in the sample had no chronic diseases, 64% were not sick in the past 3 months, and 36% in the past 6 months. Most accessed healthcare independently, with a preference for outpatient services (73%), primarily at private hospitals (75.64%), followed by private clinics (15.42%) and public hospitals (8.94%). Information on healthcare service quality was mainly sourced from Chinese peers and social media. The study reveals a high perception of healthcare service quality in Thailand among Chinese nationals (x̄ = 3.70, SD = .50), with coordination (x̄ = 3.24, SD = .64) and information provision (x̄ = 3.27, SD = .64) at a moderate level. The research underscores the importance of utilizing healthcare facility data to enhance services and streamline delivery processes to reduce complexity, particularly in service coordination. It also highlights the need for educational institutions to improve medical interpreters' proficiency, especially in specialized Chinese medical terminology, to strengthen Thailand's preparedness as a medical hub in the ASEAN region.
เอกสารอ้างอิง
Alberti, F. G., Giusti, J. D., Papa, F., & Pizzurno, E. (2014). Competitiveness policies for medical tourism clusters: Government initiatives in Thailand. International Journal of Economic Policy in Emerging Economies, 7(3), 281-309.
Artigas, E. M., Yrigoyen, C. C., Moraga, E. T., & Villalón, C. B. (2017). Determinants of trust towards tourist destinations. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 6(4), 327-334.
Baker, D. M. (2015). Medical tourism development, challenges and opportunities for Asia. Journal of Tourism, Culture and Territorial Development, 6(12), 193-210. from https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-5195/5315
Chee, H. L., Whittaker, A., Por, L. W., & Press, D. J. (2017). Medical tourism and policy implications for health systems: A conceptual framework from a comparative study of Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Globalization and Health, 13(1), 36. from https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-017-0237-x
Chen, S., & Chang, W.-T. (2022). Chinese medical tourism: Review and research agenda. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 50, 83-90. from https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008X.2022.2073939
Connell, J. (2013). Contemporary medical tourism: Conceptualizations, culture and commodification. Tourism Management, 34, 1-13.
Chun, C. (2017). Literature Review of Related Research on Medical Tourism. DEStech Transactions on Social Science, Education and Human Science (ssme). from https://doi.org/10.12783/dtssehs/ssme2017/12920
Ivanov, D. (2021). Digital supply chain management and technology to enhance resilience by building and using end-to-end visibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.
Lee, C., & Kim, S. (2023). Medical tourism and policy implications for health systems: A conceptual framework from a comparative study of Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Globalization and Health, 19(1). from https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-023-00876-4
Medical Tourism Magazine. (n.d.). Singapore’s role in shaping medical travel. Medical Tourism Magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://www.magazine.medicaltourism.com
OECD. (2012). International migration outlook 2012. OECD Publishing. from https://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/48723982.pdf
Read, P. (n.d.). Chinese medical tourism: A new wave. Medical Tourism Magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://www.magazine.medicaltourism.com
Sun, Y., Zhang, J., Wang, Q., Fu, Y., Wang, Q., & Yang, L. (2022). Health services utilization in China during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a large-scale online survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(23), 15892. from https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315892
Trischler, M. F. G., & Li-Ying, J. (2023). Digital business model innovation: Toward construct clarity and future research directions. Review of Managerial Science, 17(1), 3-32.
Xu, H., Yang, H., Wang, H., & Li, X. (2021). The association of residence permits on utilization of health care services by migrant workers in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(18), 9623. from https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189623
Yan, Y. (2020). Medical tourism in China: Traditional medicine serving as an emerging tourism resource. In Y. Luo, J. Jiang, & D. Bi (Eds.), Tourism product development in China, Asian and European countries (pp. 1-12). Springer, Singapore. from https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4447-7_12
Yuly Andrea Ramírez Sierra. (2022). Challenges of medical and health tourism: a literature review from 2009 to 2020. Revista de Economia Caribe. from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Challenges-of-medical-and-health-tourism%3A-a-review-Sierra/79f8b16f84b813df0878211f4da00335a2954324
ดาวน์โหลด
เผยแพร่แล้ว
รูปแบบการอ้างอิง
ฉบับ
ประเภทบทความ
สัญญาอนุญาต
ลิขสิทธิ์ (c) 2025 วารสาร มจร พุทธปัญญาปริทรรศน์
อนุญาตภายใต้เงื่อนไข Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
