Health Tourism and Elective Surgery Overseas

‘Health tourism’ is becoming a fast growing part of the international healthcare sector – it’s a term that generally refers to people who choose to leave their country of residence and have elective medical procedures carried out in another country.

So why are so many Brits in particular now deciding to have elective surgery overseas?  Well, maybe we need to look at the term ‘elective surgery’ in terms of what that means to the government and NHS trust managers in the UK.  The definition of ‘elective surgery’ to them is basically ‘an operation that is not urgently required due to an emergency,’ in other words it is to treat a non-life threatening situation and you can probably wait a bit to have it done as far as the NHS is concerned! 

Operations such as hip replacements, cataract operations, knee replacements and even hernia operations are all classed as elective surgery believe it or not.  But whilst they may not be emergency operations in the NHS’s eyes, all will have a very detrimental affect on a patient’s quality of life if they are not carried out relatively quickly.  Which is why more people are choosing to seek a solution abroad.

The problem is that as non-emergency surgery, you may be waiting quite some time for treatment under the NHS, and if you do decide to have the operation carried out privately, as with most things in the UK, you will pay far more than you need to.  So this is where health tourism comes in… 

When you compare the costs of the elective surgery procedures above between the average private hospital in the UK and the cheapest 2 destinations for elective surgery overseas, according to the Treatment Abroad price watch survey 2008, you will see a vast difference in prices. 

The overseas costs do not take into account prices of airfares or accommodation, but most destinations are on budget airline routes so can be reached cheaply.  Starting with hip replacements, the average cost of a hip replacement in the UK in 2008 was £8,000.  Health tourists in Tunisia will pay around £2,900, and hip replacement surgery in Bulgaria costs £2,800.  That equates to a saving of 65%! 

Private cataract operations in the UK cost on average £2,350.  By having the same medical treatment abroad in the Czech Republic, where the operation costs £526, a saving of 78% can be made, or save a whopping 81% and pay £438 having your cataracts dealt with in Bulgaria. 

The same story is true for total knee replacements; we “put upon” Brits get the opportunity to pay lots more because we live on an island!  Put the £9,500 you would pay in the UK alongside the £3,600 you would pay in India or the £2,800 you’d pay in Bulgaria, and it is plain to see why around 75,000 Brits are becoming health tourists and having elective surgery abroad each year. 

By the way, savings of 62% and 75% can be made on hernia operations abroad in India and Poland respectively.

Whilst health tourism is becoming more popular each year, it is not something that should be entered into lightly.  Make sure you are well informed with regard to the procedures you wish to have carried out so that you can ensure that the surgery you are paying for abroad will be of benefit to you.  Research the clinics you are interested in using and find out where their doctors are trained and how their doctors are regulated. 

It is also very important that you speak to other clients who have had similar procedures carried out at the same location.  Finally, always find out what aftercare procedures are.  How will your surgery be monitored after your return home, and what options are in place if you have complications?