Medical tourism and Money

According to a recent article in the Daily Telegaph, medical tourism is a rapidly growing industry. Long NHS waiting lists and expensive private care have meant that 2.65 million Britons have recently been or are planning to go abroad for medical procedures – that is one in 20 people.

So what treatment are people going abroad for? Well as we have often said in this blog before, the key treatment areas seem to be cosmetic surgery, hip replacements, dentistry, infertility treatment, obesity treatment and hair transplants. According to figures based on the Medical Tourism Survey on behalf of Treatment Abroad.com, 43% of British patients travelled abroad for dental treatments, 29% for cosmetic surgery and 28% for other items such as orthopaedic surgery and infertility treatment.

And where are people going for this treatment? Well according to this article, countries such as Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic have seen increasing numbers of medical tourists.

And with spending cuts expected to hit the NHS, more people might be tempted to look overseas. So here are some tips for the ‘best practice’ way to go for medical treatment abroad, and potentially save yourself both money and the time for treatment.

A spokesman for the British Medical Association (BMA) agreed with what we often say in this blog – thorough research and planning is essential before any patient considers going abroad for treatment. There is a universal body for accreditation – ISQua (the International Society for Quality in Health Care) – which has members in 70 countries, including Canada, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, as well as Japan and Taiwan.

Make sure you do your research before you go for treatment abroad

Another good tip is to check the level of English spoken at the hospital or aftercare facility – communicating with nurses can be paramount during your treatment abroad.

It is also vital that you ensure that any aftercare you require is included in the package, or that you have made arrangements for yourself. The BMA considers this to be as important as the treatment itself. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your annual travel insurance policy would cover your treatment abroad. Standard travel insurance policies contain an exclusion clause which specifies that you’re not covered if ‘travelling for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment’. That means if you make a claim which is not related to your treatment, such as for baggage loss or airport delays, and your insurance company discovers that you were travelling to have treatment, they may refuse to pay out on any claims. With AllClear Abroad, you can get specialist travel insurance that cover you for your treatment abroad trip. This includes special benefits in the event that your recovery from treatment extends past the anticipated date. We also provide cover for additional accommodation or travel expenses for you and a companion in the event that a complication prevents you from returning home or continuing your trip.

Another useful tip is, prior to your visit, make sure you provide the surgery/clinic with as much detail as possible about your needs, including medical history, dietary requirements and allergies.

Medical tourism has recently had some negative press. An  article in the Lancet warned that antibiotics’ days were numbered because of global travel and medical tourism. This article was picked up by many media outlets including the Guardian. I would like to point out is that you should be cautious about your medical treatment abroad, just as you would in UK. However, the important thing is that you do you research and sort out your travel insurance before you go, so you are as prepared as possible beforehand.

Advertisement

Tags: Dental treatment abroad, fertility tourism, Fertility treatment abroad, medical tourism, specialist travel insurance, treatment abroad, treatment abroad insurance, UK medical tourists