Treat and treatment

11:10am Friday 1st April 2005

As the cost of hospital and healthcare rises in the UK, more and more people are choosing to visit countries like Greece, Spain and South Africa for medical treatment giving rise to the term "medical tourism"

The owners of a newly-launched website, treatmentabroad.co.uk say the so-called "medical tourists" have found out they can get an exotic holiday and their treatment for less money than the treatment would cost them in the UK.

The treatments available are numerous with the most popular being cosmetic surgery, dentistry, infertility treatment and many other general medical procedures.

Keith Pollard, director of Intuition Communication, which owns treatmentabroad.co.uk says patients are able to save between 40 and 50 per cent just by going overseas for their treatment or surgery.

One cosmetic surgery example is the cost difference in facelifts. If you wanted to go for a facelift in the UK, you could expect to pay between £4,000 and £6,000, while the same procedure would cost you £2,700 in Croatia or £3,300 in South Africa.

Keith added dental implants done abroad can also cost half that of the same treatment in the UK. "You can pay up to £2,000 for a dental implant in the UK, or you can fly to Budapest for £60 and do it for £700."

The high discrepancies in these fees and the high number of inquiries from the public as well as doctors offering their services was the reason the website was launched to bring both patients and doctors together in one portal But while cost is the main reason people are opting to go abroad, there are many others who are trying to escape long waiting lists in the UK and a few who are afraid of contracting the MRSA bug at hospitals here.

Keith says there are also those who "simply want to hide away for a while after their treatment".

"A surprising number of patients who want to go abroad for cosmetic surgery are men who want to have their treatment in secret and have some time to recover before returning home."

And what better way to "hide", than to spend a few weeks on safari or relaxing at an exotic destination with sun-kissed beaches. Some foreign doctors are actually promoting the idea of a fabulous holiday combined with medical treatment.

But while the trend to go overseas for your treatment becomes more common place, it is also important to bear in mind there have been some concerns raised with regard to safety, the surgeon, the care and aftercare.

In an effort to reassure patients considering going abroad for treatment a leading Spanish plastic surgeon, Dr Jesus Benito, has formulated a guide to cosmetic surgery abroad.

Dr Benito says the more information you can get in advance, the more confident you will be when you travel, but patients can still change their minds up to five minutes before.

He stresses you have the right to ask the surgeon if he or she is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. In the Euro zone this is regulated and training is similar across Europe while many South African surgeons have had training in the UK.

Below are some points Dr Benito says you should be sure of before you make your decision.

1. What are the travel costs? One of the main reasons for going abroad for cosmetic surgery is the cost saving, but travel costs can be significantly different. Travel within the Euro zone would be much lower than flying to South Africa or to Eastern Europe for instance.

2. Have you made direct contact? You should make contact with the clinic or hospital and not make a decision based on pictures and email correspondence.

3. Where will initial and follow-up consultations be and who will they be done by? In many cases these are done in the UK, which does happen in many cases, but you should check whether these are with a nurse or adviser or the actual surgeon.

4. Ask every question you feel is important and make sure you are happy the doctor's answers are reasonable and honest because this will help you to make up your mind.

5. Be very sure what the cost of the surgery entails and double check what will happen to the cost should complications arise.

6. Make sure you know what to expect during and after your surgery and what you have to do if something goes wrong.

For more information visit treatmentabroad.co.uk