Health Tourism

[Guest guest]

Where Britons go, and what they pay

 

Nic Fleming, Medical Correspondent

(Filed: 17/05/2006)

 

 

Recent years have seen a marked increase in " health

tourism " driven mainly by people seeking to avoid long

NHS waiting lists or to obtain treatment at prices

significantly below those of private healthcare

providers in the UK.

 

A survey published by Norwich Union last year found 74

per cent of GPs reporting increases in people

travelling abroad for operations.

 

A number of destinations have developed reputations

for competitive, good quality treatment in specific

fields.

 

Belgium

 

Low prices, quality of care and easy access via

Eurostar make Belgium a popular destination for

cosmetic surgery and elective surgery.

 

One company charges £4,995 for a gastric bypass and

£1,500 for liposuction, procedures that cost around

£11,000 and £5,000 respectively in the UK.

 

While private hospital patients in Britain could

expect to pay £10,000 for a total knee replacement and

£9,000 for a full hip replacement, in Belgium they

could get the operations for £6,500 and £5,600.

 

Spain

 

Shortages in egg and sperm donations, exacerbated by

new laws removing the right to anonymity for donors in

Britain coupled with increasing demand for treatment,

are driving a boom in so-called " fertility tourism " .

 

Clinics in the Caribbean, America, Ukraine and Poland

are targeting couples through the internet and support

groups but Spain is the most popular destination.

 

While Spanish law prohibits the buying of eggs, large

clinics guarantee a steady supply of eggs by

" compensating " donors to the tune of £600-£700 a time.

British donors are only paid expenses.

 

Since the change in the law on donor anonymity a year

ago, many Spanish clinics have recruited

English-speaking staff to cope with demand from

British patients, said to have jumped by 50-100 per

cent.

 

India

 

Given the excellent reputation of its private

hospitals, India has become a global health

destination. Its health care sector has been growing

by 30 per cent per year and is predicted to be worth

£1.2 billion by 2012.

 

Last year, Briton George Marshall was one of a growing

number who went there for an operation, paying £4,800

including flights for a heart bypass procedure, rather

than waiting six months for NHS treatment or paying

£19,000 to go private here.

 

A number of Indian companies provide an

airport-to-hospital bed service for a wide range of

non-emergency operations, as well as dental treatments

and cosmetic surgery. Some of the trips combine

treatment with recreation, such as trips to the Taj

Mahal or a yoga break.

 

Hungary

 

Many Britons travel to Hungary for cosmetic dentistry

or for treatments such as dental implants and dental

crowns.

 

Prices can be less than half those of private dental

costs in the UK. Many providers also take care of

travel and accommodation arrangements, and low cost

airlines fly to Budapest. A porcelain crown costs

around £180, compared with £500 from a private UK

dentist. Hungarian dentists charge £30 for extracting

a tooth - a third of the cost here. Most reports

suggest the quality of care and treatment are high and

that dentists in Hungary are generally highly

experienced.

 

South Africa

 

Many Britons on a tight budget seeking cosmetic

surgery with recuperation in a pleasant climate opt

for South Africa.

 

It has been on the map as a leader in medicine since

the first human heart transplant was performed in Cape

Town in 1967 and standards for cosmetic surgery in

South Africa are world renowned.

 

The strength of the pound against the rand helps make

already competitive prices even more attractive.

 

A company called Evolution Cosmetic offers

all-inclusive breast augmentation packages for £2,900

and facelift packages for £3,900.

 

Private hospitals in the UK charge £3,500 to £5,000

for breast augmentation and £4,200 to £5,800 for

facelifts.

 

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