Thailand’s Bumrungrad International Hospital has been in the news a couple of times this week and has got a “first”. Already known throughout Asia as a first choice for medical services ranging from dental services to breast implants to sex changes, the hospital is further building the brand to international markets.
The hospital will operate a complete packaging, storage and dispensing system that barcodes unit-dose medications onsite. This state-of-the-art, fully-automated drug management system by Swisslog — often called a ‘Pharmacy Robot’ — is the first of its kind in Asia. Bumrungrad International will use it to improve care and safety for its patients. [From PRWeb]
Secondly, the hospital increasingly receives international patients, including from the US, as insurance companies there resort to “patient outsourcing” in the face of the stratospheric cost of surgical procedures. A heart by-pass in the US goes for around $125,000 while at Bumrungrad it can be a reasonable $16,000. [From Businessweek]
Michael McComb 