Thailand is one of the best established and most trusted countries in the medical tourism field, and the country's top two hospitals are Bangkok Hospital and Bumrungrad. Patients are advised to consider these two hospitals before any others in Thailand, as they are widely recognized as the best hospitals in Thailand, and setting the gold standard for both service and medical skill. There are several areas in which to compare the two hospitals, including service standards, technology, paperwork systems, focus on overseas patients, and marketing.

The skill level of physicians is always at the forefront of a patient's mind, whether they are seeking treatment in their home country or elsewhere. Trying to determine the best hospital in Bangkok is difficult based on staff skill levels; each hospital has similar proportions of overseas trained physicians, including those who completed training in the US or Europe. However, Bangkok Hospital staff caters especially well to international patients in that they have doctors from every one of their major patient nationalities. There are Saudi, Japanese and Western doctors on staff, and the hospital endeavours to have these doctors treat their own nationalities.

The technical capabilities of a hospital are actually quite easily quantified, and on these grounds Bangkok Hospital Medical Center is understood to be the best hospital in Thailand. It has been reported that Bumrungrad is a "solid step behind its competitor" in the field of technology, with at least seven MRI scanners in their main campus alone, digital mammography scanners that belong to separate departments, and a brand new 128-slice CT scanner on the cards.

This technological advantage has given Bangkok Hospital the greater share of medical tourists that are seeking high-tech operations and major surgeries, such as heart surgery or joint replacement surgery in Thailand.Bangkok Hospital is also better equipped to perform non-invasive surgeries, with a Novalis machine for treating brain tumours, and a robotic laparoscopic surgery for heart operations and joint operations. These devices allow them to reduce risk, hospital stay time and discomfort for patients, making this Thai hospital the first choice for patients with major surgery needs.

The service system in both hospitals is said to be very similar, with sophisticated digital information delivery systems that make these hospitals in Thailand far outshine hospitals in the West. Both hospitals offer help in arrangements with insurers, however Bangkok Hospital's systems in this area are more developed than Bumrungrad's.

The main area that Bumrungrad steps ahead of Bangkok Hospital is in its marketing and accreditation. They are said to be one of the best marketed hospitals in the world, and they currently treat a higher proportion of overseas patients than do Bangkok Hospital. Bumrungrad is a more accepted hospital in the US, while Bangkok Hospital is more popular with medical tourists from Asia and the Middle East.

Both of these excellent hospitals in Thailand will continue to serve the international community well, each playing to their own strengths.