FATE brought me here.

I had lived and worked in China (PRC)  for 16 years until August 2019. I took most of my vacation leave over that period in neighboring Thailand, touring and playing golf.

COVID changed my life as it has also affected many others worldwide. I returned to my home in Vancouver, Canada, to wait it out. During that time, I became very interested in the concept of medical tourism, or as some were calling it medical travel.

During my younger years, I recognized that travelling abroad for medical care was most often done by persons from “third world countries” travelling to access medical services in so-called “developed” countries. However, the more I read and researched, the more I was struck by two phenomena that indicated why that situation was being reversed. The first realization was that several Asian countries had vastly upgraded their healthcare providers who had tailored their medical services to meet the evolving needs and expectations of patients globally. The second observation was a critical insight into local medical service challenges that cause patients to increasingly choose to travel abroad for medical care. These reasons might include high costs at home, long waiting periods to see a specialist or long wait lists to have procedures performed.

In 2022 I started a Medical Tourism business and began representing hospitals in Thailand, promoting them to potential patients globally. I soon discovered that while most hospitals wanted to service many international patients, few were truly prepared to meet the challenges created by language and cultural differences these patients brought with them.

In January 2023 I visited Ratchaphruek Hospital in Khon Kaen as part of my hospital visitation plan to secure a referral contract. Walking into this spectacular facility and experiencing the polite professional greeting from staff persons was a moment to remember. I was introduced to Dr. Jiraporn the Medical Director and Dr. Teerawat the CEO and my intended 30 minute visit  became an eventful three days of meetings, tours, analysis, and potential strategic planning. My respect for the top management grew each day and my respect for Ratchaphruek Hospital soared. Several days later Dr. Teerawat and I came to a consulting agreement that would allow us to work together.