How To Guide

Example 1

Dr Anne. Turner

Although not technically medical treatment, stories about the terminally ill or disabled looking to go abroad to choose to die in dignity have been few and far between in recent years. In terms of how to get medical treatment abroad, it offers the greatest and gravest decision a person could ever make. Dr Anne Turner chose to go abroad to die following her diagnosis of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, or PSP. It is a degenerative disease that is currently untreatable. As a doctor, she knew how she would decline and chose to seek help to die instead.

Anne actively describes how she took the time to research not only her illness but the consequences of her decision and also the alternatives. She sought a second opinion to make sure that her diagnosis was accurate and also kept tabs on her symptoms so that she could monitor her condition. Anne explains that Dignitas, the clinic that treated her, actively made her see a psychiatrist and ensured that she was fully aware of the consequences before finally scheduling… Read More

Only couples, who do not have babies, but want to have them, know what they have to go through.

For people who love children but for any given reason are unable to conceive naturally know the heartbreak that they go through. While adoption may be an answer for some people, there are long waiting lists for adoption as well. Then there are many other requirements that adoption agencies require to be fulfilled. Adoption also means that the child is not naturally or genetically the parents.

Options for surrogacy

Thanks to advancements in the medical field, there are many options open for assisted reproduction techniques. If the man is infertile, donor sperm is available. If the woman has any problems in conceiving, donor eggs are available. Surrogacy is an option when the woman has any trouble in carrying a baby to term. She may have uterine problems, hormonal problems or any kind of medical problems which prevent her from having a baby.

Two kinds of surrogacy

There are basically two kinds of surrogacy. In the genetically linked one, the woman will… Read More

Teddy L

Teddy L of Kitts Hill, OH had a clavicle fracture. When he went to an orthopedic doctor in the US he did not agree with what the doctor told him. He as told he would have to live with his pain.  He also did not have medical insurance to pay for treatment.

Accordingly he decided to go to Costa Rica for treatment after getting in touch with the doctor and emailing his reports. He was happy with the assessment and the line of treatment. At the Clinica Biblica Hospital in Costa Rica he received personal care and attention. He had the surgery and now had normal use of his arm and his pain free. It cost him a fraction of the cost in the US.

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Louis William

Louis William of Jacksonville needed to get dental implants done, but they were expensive in the US. He used the services of Plenitas and decided to go to Argentina though he was wary of going to a strange country for medical treatment.

Despite his qualms and the fact that he did not know the local language he went there, where Plenitas had arranged everything. He had his treatment done at a fraction of the cost and was very happy with his trip to Buenos Aires. He was impressed by the medical facilities and the quality of care he received.

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Julia Vorley

Julia Vorley of Staffordshire needed dental treatment as her upper jaw lost all nerves due to an infection and she needed to have her teeth replaced. She could not find a dentist who would do it on NHS. For private treatment she was quoted an exorbitant sum of £22,000.

Somebody recommended that she should go to Hungary for treatment. On researching, she decided to go there and got treated there. She spent only £6,000 for the entire treatment in Budapest.

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Errol Bugarin

Errol Bugarin of Perth, Australia, wanted follicular transplant done. On doing research he found that Mania, capital of Philippines, was a good place to get this done. He emailed Philippine Medical Tourism Inc (PMTI) for his requirements and got a reply.

He decided to go with their recommendation and they fixed up his doctor and took care of other details as well. His itinerary, hospital stay, hotel accommodation and air travel were all done by them. He had a stress free surgical experience in Manila and recommends it to everybody.

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Valerie Adams

Valerie Adams, an adult education tutor who lives in Wales started suffering pains in her shoulder 18 months earlier. She was told to have physiotherapy done, but it did not help. An X-ray showed some damage and she went to consultant who told her to get an MRI done.

As there was a long wait on NHS, she paid for the test, but the results were unclear. She was then told to get an MRI with a dye done and it would have cost her £325. She was in pain and worried because she could not sleep well at night.

She then researched medical treatments abroad and the clinic in Norway was helpful and also said if she needed any treatment it would be done the same day. She had to spend £500 including airfare and two night’s accommodation, but she felt it was worth it because she got an accurate diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately she did not require surgery.

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How do you know whether going abroad for surgery is right for you or not? Any kind of surgery affects your life in some way or the other, so you need to make the right decision.

You need surgery which is either unaffordable in your home country, or you have no medical insurance, or it is not covered by insurance. So you decide you should explore the options of going abroad, where surgical and other procedures are much cheaper. But how will you know that you are making the right decision when you leave all that is familiar to you and go to a strange foreign destination, and often put your life in some else’s hands?

What kind of health are you in?

If your overall health is good and you are mobile, then you can go abroad for surgery. This particularly applies for elective procedures like aesthetic or cosmetic surgery and dental procedures. Cosmetic surgery may range from full face lifts to rhinoplasty to abdominoplasty or liposuction and any other surgeries which will make you look and feel better.… Read More

Sally Johnstone

Sally Johnstone of the US is a big fan of medical tourism. She feels that prices for many procedures in the US are prohibitively expensive and unaffordable. Earlier she had a good amount of medical insurance in the US and so had many treatments there. Later her insurance cover dwindled and, in any case, did not cover the treatments she wanted.

She wanted to become pregnant and had to undergo IVF. She went to Thailand to the get the procedure done. Sally also notices that in the US while the doctors did give quality care, often they would look at her as a business opportunity. In Thailand, she experienced a more caring and compassionate and hands-on approach on the part of the medical staff assigned to her. She became pregnant and is grateful to the hospital in Bangkok which enabled her to have a baby.

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Surgery abroad may seem attractive because it is cheap, but there are other costs involved as well.

In the US, if you need any medical treatment which is not covered by insurance, or you are not insured, then you can be sure that it is going to burn a hole in your pocket to be paying for it. Whether it is a simple tooth extraction or hair transplant or hip or knee replacement surgery or heart surgery, everything is extremely expensive.

And then it is not necessary that you are going to get better care than anywhere else. In fact the number of doctors from other countries outnumbers local doctors in most western countries, though they have to be qualified to practice and have met all the certification requirements.

Why is surgery cheaper abroad?

Surgery abroad in most countries is cheaper than in the US or UK even though you are getting it done privately. The reasons for this may be:

1. Cost of living is less
2. Real estate is cheaper
3. Cost of medical education is less
4. Infrastructure costs are

… Read More

Many people are going to foreign countries to get cosmetic and serious surgery done because it is cheaper there – how safe is it to do so?

People go abroad for cosmetic procedures which are usually not covered by insurance companies. People go abroad for surgeries which have long waiting lists and they do not want to spend the time in pain or discomfort. People go abroad for procedures which are not offered in the US. People go abroad for medical treatment because it is much cheaper than at home. And, people go abroad for surgeries or medical treatment because they do not have insurance or they have to co-pay and it is simply too expensive.

Is medical tourism safe – legal issues?

If you were to go by the very fact that millions travel abroad for medical treatments ranging from dental treatment to heart surgery to transplant surgery to infertility treatments and seem to be happy with their experience, you would rightly assume that it is safe to go somewhere for your surgery.

However, surgery has its own risks… Read More

A person who is seeking medical treatment abroad has to research all the options open to him or her and come to the right decision.

There are many people all around the world who travel to other lands, often exotic destinations, which they may not even consider going to otherwise, just for medical treatment. As such it is of extreme importance that they do their research diligently so that they don’t have a bad experience. After all, they are putting their health and well being in somebody else’s hands.

Researching medical tourism via the internet

Fortunately the internet gives all kind of information at the touch of your fingertips and in the comfort and safety of your home. However, the information available is so vast that sometimes it becomes difficult to come to a decision on where to go.

There are also lots of blogs and testimonials available on the internet. It sometimes becomes impossible to learn what is real and what is advertising hype – because testimonials may just be advertisements in a different form.

How to find out… Read More

Two examples below

Val Finch

Val Finch needed a hysterectomy. She decided to go to Costa Rica for the surgery from Florida, where she stayed. She and her husband went to Costa Rica – everything was arranged for them by Medical Journey.

She spent two days at the Clinica Biblica hospital and was very happy with the care she received there from the investigations and the pre-operation procedures to the time she left. They were even able to get in some sight seeing while there.

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http://www.medjourneys.com/testimonialsGeneral.html

Conchetta Procopio

Conchetta Procopio of Gilbert, Arizona, was told she needed a hysterectomy. She did not have medical insurance and it was prohibitively expensive to get it done privately. So she researched her options and homed in on Mexico.

She arranged her trip to MedToGo. She had a successful trip and was happy that even though she could not speak Spanish, The doctor in the hospital could speak English, so she did not have any problem. The surgery cost only one-third of what it would have cost in the US. She… Read More

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Mark

At 45, Mark had a severe weight problem – he weighed 400 pounds and was diabetic as well. He tried all kinds of weight loss programs and diets, with little success. Finally a friend recommended that he should try surgery to lose weight.

He was put off with stomach stapling and gastric by pass procedures which are quite serious, not to mention more expensive. Then he researched all the information on the internet and decided to go to the Dominican Republic for lap band surgery, which less invasive.

He fixed up everything through a facilitating company and went for a medical vacation with his wife. After the surgery he has already lost 70 pounds and his sugar is also under control.

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Karen

Karen at 37 was overweight and quite fed up. Being a doctor who had been struggling with her weight since she was twelve, she knew it was important for her to reduce so that she could talk to her patients about healthy living without feeling foolish about her own weight.

She… Read More

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Merry Farmer

Merry Farmer was having problems with her gall bladder for more than 22 years. She had even been hospitalized once and treated for infection. Even though she had HMO insurance, every time she would go to the doctors, they would say she did not gall stones which warranted removal. Later the insurance also lapsed.

Then she decided to research where else she could have the surgery done. She settled for Mexico. She went to Puerto Vallarta and had the surgery at the Cornerstone Hospital under Dr. Juan Velazquez. She is now pain free.

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Allan Miller

Allan Miller of Seaview, WA, was having severe abdominal pain for two months. Investigations revealed that he needed a cholecystectomy. He did not have medical insurance and so decided to seek treatment abroad.

He explored the options of having the surgery in Belgium, Turkey and India. However, he did not want to take too much time off and travel for too long. So he picked on having gallbladder surgery at Hospital Angeles in Tijuana, Mexico. After two… Read More

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Ken Snowden

Ken Snowden of CA, US, has been competing and coaching in endurance sports. However, his career was badly affected when he was in a bicycle accident which broke his hip. He had it surgically repaired, but it degenerated into advanced osteoarthritis. He suffered for two years and was in pain. His insurance coverage was minimal so he decided to research other options.

He zeroed in on Dr. Vijay Bose at Apollo Hospital in Chennai in India. He had the hip resurfacing surgery very successfully and was without pain in 10 hours. Just two and a half weeks later he was back on his bike. The surgery cost him 20 percent of what it would have back home.

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Steve Berg

Steve Berg of Pioneertown, CA had such severe hip pain that he used to take 16 ibuprofens a day. X-rays revealed that he had severe osteoarthritis. The only long term solution was hip replacement. However, it would cost him $60,000 since he did not have medical insurance.

He found hip resurfacing would also… Read More

Two examples below

Vicky Bingham

Vicky Bingham, 64, of Sudbourne, UK, was having pain in the knees and was advised knee surgery. However, she found out that she had to wait eight months for the surgery. It would cost £12,000 – £14,000 if she had it done privately.

She did not want to wait as she was in pain; neither did she want to spend so much money. After doing her research she went to the Clinique Sainte Isabelle in Abbeville, France. She was very happy with her experience, the standard of medical care and the hospital. Besides it cost her less than half than in the UK. She says that she will go back when she needs hip surgery.

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Mrs JM

Mrs JM, 70 of Teignmouth, Devon, had difficult walking because of pain in her knees. When she finally got a diagnosis, she was told she required knee replacement surgery, for which there was a waiting list of 10 months. Alternatively, she could spend £10,300 and get it done privately.

She decided to go to Belgium… Read More

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Cheryl Newman

Cheryl Newman, in her fifties, wanted to get breast reduction surgery done. She could qualify for NHS only if the surgeon could remove 500 gm. of fatty tissue from each breast, but that was not possible in her case. Privately done, the surgery would cost between £5,000 and £7,000.

She did a lot of research on the net, not only on the type of surgeries available, but the places as well, where she would like to go. She was considering South Africa, Thailand, India and other countries. Finally somebody told her to consult an expert who would guide her better.

She met Wendy Lewis who is a consultant and was guided by her to go to Barcelona in Spain. She had her reduction surgery at the Instituto Javier de Benito of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery by Dr Javier de Benito. However, she did find that she was expecting a little more redcution and a little less cost – the surgery set her back by €11,000, excluding airfare and accommodation.

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Angela Butterly

Angela… Read More

Four examples below

Danielle Davis

Danielle Davis, a student from Kent, UK, wanted to have breast augmentation done, but could not afford the rates to get the surgery done. She was recommended Thailand as a medical tourism destination.

She communicated with a plastic surgeon in Phuket and decided to go there. She had the breast augmentation surgery done as well some liposuction from her thighs so that she would look better. The whole thing cost her only £1,400. She spent three nights relaxing before the surgery, spent three nights in the hospital and the nine days more at the retreat.

She had the stitches removed and was happy with the results. She was planning on working as a dancer in Ibiza.

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Laura and Sarah

Laura and Sarah of Perth in Scotland, sister, both wanted to have breast augmentation done. Laura found out that it would cost £6,000 where she lived. The sisters consulted with an adviser who suggested Tunisia for the surgeries.

Both sisters went to Tunisia for the augmentation procedures and it cost them £2,200. They… Read More

Six examples below

Aaron Clark

Aaron Clark of south Texas wanted to have his vision corrected. As it a cosmetic procedure, medical insurance does not cover it. So he decided to go to Monterrey in Mexico for his lasik eye surgery.

He went to the eye care clinic at Hospital San Jose and had the surgery done by Dr. Jesus Vidaurri. He was happy with the care and treatment he got. He went with his mother and sister who had other cosmetic procedures done. Prices are 60 percent lower than in the States.

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Adrienne

Adrienne had a vision of minus 6.5 along with astigmatism. She decided to have lasik surgery done in Bucaramanga in Colombia by Dr. Virgillio Galvis. Soon after the surgery, though she could see, her vision was somewhat blurred.

The blurriness was gone the following day and she was happy with her surgery. The cost of the surgery which is less than $1,500 includes follow up visits and further surgery if required after a few months. She was told not to wear contact lenses… Read More