In this article
Marketing to Middle Eastern patients means making sure patients from the Middle East, especially the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, find, trust and choose your hospital, through the channels patients and their families actually use, with care that respects their language, religion and culture.
These patients have long been a key market for Thai private hospitals. ITIJ, a health insurance trade journal, reports that for several Thai private hospitals GCC countries are the largest source of international patients, and Krungthep Turakij reports that at one mid-sized Bangkok hospital Middle Eastern patients became the largest international group. The market differs from others because many patients come through government referral programmes, usually travel with family, and expect attentive care throughout their stay.
How Middle Eastern patients arrive
| Channel | What it is | What to have ready |
|---|---|---|
| Government referral programmes | Some governments send citizens abroad for treatment through health offices or embassies, and pay for it | A place on the approved hospital list, guarantee letters, and the reports the agency needs |
| International insurers | Patients with cover for treatment abroad | Direct billing with the insurer or its assistance company |
| Agents and facilitators | Handling hospital choice, visas, accommodation and interpreters | Clear contracts on fees, standards and patient data |
| Family and friends | Many patients choose on the recommendation of someone who came before | An experience good enough to be recommended |
| Online search | Google and social media in Arabic and English | Arabic and English pages with complete information |
Government referral programmes are an important and distinctive channel. Krungthep Turakij reported in 2024, for example, that Kuwait was preparing a list of Thai hospitals where its citizens could claim treatment costs. Policies like this restrict government-funded patients to listed hospitals, so hospitals that want these patients should follow each country’s policy and contact the relevant bodies, such as each country’s health office or embassy in Thailand.
Online channels
- WhatsApp is the main way patients and families from the GCC get in touch: questions, sending results and booking
- Instagram and TikTok suit showing the facility, the medical team and the care environment
- Snapchat is widely used in some GCC countries, especially Saudi Arabia
- Google searches happen in Arabic and English; Arabic pages help you appear for queries competitors do not cover
- AI assistants: patients increasingly ask ChatGPT and Gemini in Arabic, and Arabic information on your site helps you get recommended; see AEO for hospitals and clinics
The care patients and families expect
- Arabic: coordinators or interpreters who speak Arabic, in chat and on treatment day, with key documents in Arabic
- Family: patients often travel with several relatives, so family-friendly rooms and nearby accommodation matter
- Religion and culture: halal food, prayer rooms, the qibla direction, and scheduling that respects prayer times
- Female doctors and nurses: many women patients prefer them; make clear they are available
- Privacy: spaces and processes that protect the privacy of patients and families
- Long stays: some treatments need weeks in Thailand, and a coordinator helping with visas, accommodation and transport makes choosing easier
Planning around the year
- GCC summer school holidays, roughly June to August, are peak travel for families; prepare staff and bookings early
- Ramadan: many patients postpone non-urgent treatment and plan travel after Eid
- Eid holidays are another travel peak
Advertising and communication
Ads inviting people to use a Thai facility need approval from DHSS or the provincial public health office, in any language; see the healthcare advertising guide. Several GCC countries also have their own rules for advertising medical services, so take advice in the target country before running ads aimed at people there. Keep content factual, such as the medical team, the process and the care available, without guaranteeing outcomes.
Checklist before you start
| Area | Ready when |
|---|---|
| Services | You have chosen genuinely strong services the target countries need |
| Language | Arabic web pages, documents and coordinators |
| A team or system answering WhatsApp quickly in Arabic and English | |
| Payment | Support for government guarantee letters and direct billing with international insurers |
| Care | Halal food, prayer rooms, family rooms and female doctors |
| Relationships | Contact with the target countries’ health offices or embassies, and tracking of approved hospital lists |
| Law | Thai ad approval, and the target country’s advertising rules checked |
For international patients of every nationality, see marketing to international patients, and for China, marketing to Chinese patients.
Frequently asked questions
Where do Middle Eastern patients in Thailand come from?
Mostly from the GCC countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. For several Thai private hospitals, these countries are the largest source of international patients.
What are government referral programmes?
Some Middle Eastern governments send citizens abroad for treatment and pay for it, through health offices or embassies, and some limit them to approved hospitals. Hospitals should follow each country’s policy and contact its agencies.
Why do we need WhatsApp?
It is the main channel patients and families from the GCC use to get in touch, ask questions, send results and book. Fast replies on WhatsApp in Arabic win patients.
What care do Muslim patients expect?
Halal food, prayer rooms and the qibla direction, scheduling that respects prayer times, female doctors or nurses on request, and privacy for patients and families.
When do Middle Eastern patients travel most?
During GCC summer school holidays, roughly June to August, and the Eid holidays. During Ramadan, patients often postpone non-urgent treatment.
Sources
- ITIJ, Medical tourism in Thailand: facts, figures and services on offer
- Krungthep Turakij, Praram 9 Hospital adjusts strategy for Arab and CLMV patients (in Thai)
- Krungthep Turakij, Hospital groups prepare for more Middle Eastern patients (in Thai)
