Praram 9 Hospital Elevates Specialty Medical Center to Attract Foreign Patients

KTMS has announced a total revenue target of 800 million baht for 2026, driven by the rising trend of kidney disease patients boosting demand for hemodialysis. The company plans to open 11 new dialysis units in the second half of 2026, with 4 units in the third quarter and 7 more in preparation. It will also install an additional 36-64 dialysis machines, increasing from the current 541, to serve over 120,000 dialysis patients nationwide. Ms. Kanjana Pongpatthanadet, Chief Executive Officer, revealed that Thailand has approximately 8 million people at risk of chronic kidney disease, with about 120,000 patients requiring hemodialysis. Hemodialysis is the primary treatment method chosen by 80% of patients. In the first half of 2026, the company reported revenue of 350.63 million baht, up 2.27% from the same period last year, and a net profit of 12.99 million baht.

According to the latest long-term care insurance business report released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on August 27, 2026, the number of people certified as requiring long-term care or support has reached 7.21 million, with approximately one in three people aged 75 or older receiving such certification. Based on calculations using the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' 2025 average results, a household of a married couple aged 65 or older with no employment faces a monthly deficit of about 42,434 yen, resulting in a shortfall of approximately 15.28 million yen over 30 years. For single-person households, the monthly deficit is about 29,980 yen, totaling approximately 10.79 million yen over 30 years. Adding the average long-term care cost of about 5.42 million yen and a reserve fund of 3 million yen, the total exceeds 20 million yen, making the 20 million yen retirement figure a realistic defense line. Additionally, the number of insured persons aged 65 or older (Category 1 insured) was 35.84 million, a decrease of 50,000 from the previous year, but the number of certified persons increased by 120,000, indicating that while the overall elderly population is declining, the demand for long-term care continues to rise.

Bloomberg reports that Taiwan's population may decline to about 12.15 million by 2075, a drop of roughly 48% from 2026 levels, amid a continued decrease in births and young population, while the number of elderly rises significantly, posing long-term challenges to the labor market, economy, and defense capabilities. Estimates from Taiwan's National Development Council (NDC), based on household registration data, indicate that the working-age population will shrink by nearly two-thirds over the next 50 years. By 2075, the population aged 0-14 will be only 585,000, the working-age population (15-64) will be about 5.13 million, and those aged 65 and above will reach 6.43 million, meaning the elderly will outnumber the working-age population and account for more than half of the total population. These figures reflect risks after the population peaked at 23.6 million in 2019, and could also affect Taiwan's security, as the military still relies partly on conscription amid threats from China.