Thailand calls for mandatory travel insurance after unpaid medical bills soar

A new rule that would require tourists to have mandatory travel insurance in place before visiting Thailand has gathered support as unpaid medical bills put a strain on the country’s healthcare system.

Thailand’s health and tourist bodies have backed a proposal that would require all tourists to obtain accident insurance before entering the country.

Dr Weerasak Lorthongkham, the director of the public Vachira Phuket Hospital, the main hospital of the Phuket Province popular with tourists, said it absorbs about 10m baht (£232k) every year in treatment costs for tourists without insurance, according to the Bangkok Post.

He added that the hospital receives many tourists due to the high volume that ride motorcycles and get into accidents.

Major tourist hubs such as Phuket and Chiang Mai are worst affected by unpaid medical bills. The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand says that estimates of unpaid medical bills from foreign patients amount to at least 100m baht (£2.3m) annually.

A proposed 300 baht entry fee (£7) for air arrivals remains under cabinet review, but the Bangkok Post reports that attention is shifting towards compulsory insurance.

The 300 baht entry fee is a separate proposal. A small part of the fee would go towards basic medical insurance, while the rest would be a general tourist tax, which would be used to improve tourism infrastructure and public amenities.

Dr Somruk Jungsaman, the ministry's permanent secretary, told the publication that officials are compiling data to better understand the impact of unpaid bills.

"We need clear data to assess the scale of the problem and design appropriate measures," he said. "Both the level of insurance and payment mechanisms will be discussed with relevant agencies."

Mandatory insurance is not a new idea, with countries such as Argentina, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as Schengen Area countries, all having similar rules in place.

Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, chairman of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, added to the Bangkok Post that the travel industry has not focused on risk management because it has been fixated on the growth of its visitor numbers.

"Mandatory fees and insurance were not prioritised before, as we focused on attracting tourists," he said.

However, last year Thailand’s annual foreign tourism numbers dropped for the first time in a decade outside of the pandemic period.

In 2025, the popular Southeast Asian country recorded 32.9 million arrivals between January and December – a 7.2 per cent decline on 2024 figures, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

More than 35 million international tourists travelled to Thailand in 2024.

The Independent has contacted Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health for comment.

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