Friday, August 19, 2011

Freebie Friday: A Free Colonoscopy, When You Fly With Us!

The headline sounds like satire, I know, but its not too far from the truth.

I read on the Flying with Fish blog this week that Oman Air has partnered, oddly enough, with Piyavate Hospital in Bangkok for a unique new discount program. If passengers show up at Piyavate with a boarding pass from Oman Airways, it will give them a 50% discount on medical check-ups, and a 20% discount on advanced medical procedures.

This is bizarre on a number of levels, not the least of which is that Oman is nowhere near Bangkok. So the great majority of its passengers would have to take a 6-plus hour flight for that check-up. Fish goes on to note that this isn't the first marketing scheme Piyavate has engaged in; apparently its paired with credit card companies to get its name out (earn loyalty points towards face lifts).

If you're interested in this sort of extreme medical tourism, head here for more info. The deal is good through the end of 2011 and has a LOT of fine print attached (such as no discounts on doctor's fees).






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