Business
Visionary dentist bridges gap in Phuket dental market

PHUKET: Medical tourism and the hordes of foreign customers it brings to Thailand and Phuket’s shores is on a steady rise, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand reporting more than 2.5 million international patients travelling to the Kingdom for treatments in 2012 and predicting an increase of 13% per annum.
One dental clinic conglomerate, Dental Corporation Co Ltd, started filling the market cavities years ago, and its business-savvy CEO recently sat down with the Phuket Gazette to talk about the changing tides of medical tourism and what his company has in store for Thailand and Phuket’s tourists and local residents.
Dr Pornsak Tantapakul, DDS, who graduated with an orthodontic certificate degree from New York University before moving on to earn a degree in lingual orthodontic technique from Eastman Dental Institute at the University College in London, told the Gazette he saw a significant increase in the number of overseas patients visit his clinic soon after his return to Thailand.
“I started with a humble one shophouse dental clinic along Phahonyothin Road [in Bangkok] about 12 years ago,” Dr Pornsak says.”Perhaps because I had trained abroad and applied those techniques, standards and technological innovations to my work here, my clinic saw a significant number of overseas patients.
“Looking at the opportunities at that time and with the incoming medical tourism market, I knew I needed a larger dental center that could effectively provide a one-stop dental service center to both the international community and local residents near the city center of Bangkok.”
Thus, in 2005, the Bangkok International Dental Center (BIDC) was established. BIDC is the company’s seven-storey flagship dental center, with more than 30 treatment rooms providing professional hospital-grade treatments and standards. The one-stop shop has on-site 3D CT scans, digitalized x-ray machines, an on-site lab and a mini boutique hotel.
In 2012, BIDC became the first outpatient dental care center in Thailand to achieve the American quality and patient safety Joint Commission International (JCI) certification.
But the company didn’t stop there. With quality and customer service in mind, says Dr Pornsak, more dental clinics were established following the same principles and standards of professionalism.
The company now has two premium Dental Signature clinics, one at Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok and the other in Patong next to Jungceylon shopping mall, as well as a chain of Smile Signature clinics, with five locations scattered around Bangkok.
“We even have three more confirmed locations expected to be opened by the end of 2015, which includes one on the beachfront road in Patong. Dental Corporation Co Ltd will have an expected 11 total clinics in Thailand by the fourth quarter of this year,” Dr Pornsak notes.
Dr Pornsak credits the expansions in part to a rising number of dental tourists visiting Thailand – even in spite of recent political turmoil.
“Though there has not been a reported benchmark by which to measure Thailand’s dental tourism industry growth, our dental group has seen an increased overall number and an annual increase in foreign patients at BIDC and in Phuket over the past few years, despite the domestic political issues and economic downturn in some of our main patients’ countries,” he said.
Dr Pornsak noted that these foreign patients make up about 97% of customers that walk through the doors at Phuket Dental Signature in Patong, compared with the 60% foreign customer base seen at BIDC.
“With the natural, beautiful islands and beaches on and surrounding Phuket, this percentage rate comes as no surprise to me. Tourists are combining medical and dental treatments with their holidays,” Dr Pornsak says. “With Phuket’s vast potential, the dental group has plans for a second clinic in Patong by mid-year which will be situated in front of the beach.
“Visitors can relax and enjoy the beach view from the second floor of the clinic.”
— Mauri Grant
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Business
Governments & old media versus social media – who will win? | VIDEO

We look at the recent changes made by the Australian and Indian governments to except control over the world’s biggest social media platforms. India has issued strict new rules for Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms just weeks after the Indian government attempted to pressure Twitter to take down social media accounts it deemed, well, anti social. There is now an open battle between the rise of social media platforms and the governments and ‘old’ media that have been able to maintain a certain level of control over the ‘message’ for the last century. Who will win?
The rules require any social media company to create three roles within India… a “compliance officer” who ensures they follow local laws; a “grievance officer” who addresses complaints from Indian social media users; and a “contact person” who can actually be contacted by lawyers and other aggrieved Indian parties… 24/7.
The democratisation of the news model, with social media as its catalyst, will continue to baffle traditional media and governments who used to enjoy a level of control over what stories get told. The battles of Google and Facebook, with the governments of India and Australia will be followed in plenty of other countries as well.
At the root of all discussions will be the difference between what governments THINK social media is all about and the reality about how quickly the media landscape has changed. You’ll get to read about it first, on a social media platform… probably on the screen you’re watching this news story right now.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Business
The social media giants in battle with ‘old’ media and world governments | VIDEO

“The rules signal greater willingness by countries around the world to rein in big tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter that the governments fear have become too powerful with little accountability.”
India has issued strict new rules for Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms just weeks after the Indian government attempted to pressure Twitter to take down social media accounts it deemed, well, anti social.
The rules require any social media company to create three roles within India… a “compliance officer” who ensures they follow local laws; a “grievance officer” who addresses complaints from Indian social media users; and a “contact person” who can actually be contacted by lawyers and other aggrieved Indian parties… 24/7.
The companies are also being made to publish a compliance report each month with details about how many complaints they’ve received and the action they took.
They’ll also be required to remove ‘some’ types of content including “full or partial nudity,” any “sexual act” or “impersonations including morphed images”
The democratisation of the news model, with social media as its catalyst, will continue to baffle traditional media and governments who used to enjoy a level of control over what stories get told.
The battles of Google and Facebook, with the governments of India and Australia will be followed in plenty of other countries as well.
At the root of all discussions will be the difference between what governments THINK social media is all about and the reality about how quickly the media landscape has changed. You’ll get to read about it first, on a social media platform… probably on the screen you’re watching this news story right now.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Business
Turbulence ahead for Thailand’s aviation industry | VIDEO

When the airlines, in particular, were asking the government to put their hands in their pockets for some relief funding in August last year, it was genuinely thought that international tourists would be coming back for the high season in December and January. At the very least local tourists and expats would head back to the skies over the traditional holiday break. And surely the Chinese would be back for Chinese New Year?
As we know now, none of that happened. A resurge in cases started just south of Bangkok on December 20 last year, just before Christmas, kicking off another round of restrictions, pretty much killing off any possibility of a high season ‘bump’ for the tourist industry. Airlines slashed flights from their schedule, and hotels, which had dusted off their reception desks for the surge of tourists, shut their doors again.
Domestically, the hotel business saw 6 million room nights in the government’s latest stimulus campaign fully redeemed. But the air ticket quota of 2 million seats still has over 1.3 million seats unused. Local tourists mostly skipped flights and opted for destinations within driving distance of their homes.
As for international tourism… well that still seems months or years away, even now.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)2 days ago
International travellers allowed to transit Thailand from Monday
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)2 days ago
PM Prayut postponing Covid‐19 vaccination citing paperwork issues
- Crime3 days ago
Motorbike taxi attacked tourist in Pattaya because he was annoyed
- Bangkok2 days ago
Bangkok police raid house where model died after playing hostess
- Crime3 days ago
Thai man accidentally kills himself with homemade bomb
- Bangkok1 day ago
Woman talks about the life of a Thai “pretty” after model’s death
- Eastern Thailand3 days ago
Roadtrippers take a break at petrol station only to find dead body under car
- Myanmar2 days ago
Myanmar’s representative to UN urges strong action against military after increasing violence against protesters