Cheap foreign surgery not always a good deal

Many Britons continue to travel abroad each year in order to go under the knife in cosmetic surgery operations, but is this medical tourism really a safe practice?
According to leading figures within the NHS, the cosmetic surgery industry and injury law, anyone who is considering a cut-price operation abroad needs to seriously consider the risk they are taking before making the journey.

What is the danger?
The most commonly cited concern expressed by medical professionals in this country about medical tourism, relates to the difficulty judging the quality of the foreign clinic and medical staff. Because many travel to the developing world, including India, it is much more difficult to assess beforehand the state of the facilities on offer.

Many people, especially in tough economic circumstances, are tempted by the seemingly bargain prices for surgeries that are offered by foreign clinics, with some operations coming in at less than a quarter of the price that they would cost in the UK. Unlike in Britain though, the hygiene standards abroad may not be so stringent, as Dr. Graham Offer explains:

“The two main problems with overseas surgery is that it may be poor and with poor hygiene standards. There must be close follow-up after these operations so that if any infection does occur it can be picked up quickly and treated. I have seen cases where the infection has taken such hold a breast implant has started to come through the skin.”

This opinion has been echoed by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), whose chairwoman Denise Kitchener even went as far as to advise people to seriously reconsider travelling. Douglas McGeorge from APIL noted that the uncertainty surrounding facilities should make people think again before risking their health.

“Individuals have no idea of the standard of care in the country they are visiting and no knowledge of the abilities or experience of the surgeon. Complications occur and are usually left to the British system to treat.” Said McGeorge.

What compensation is available?
Despite these warnings being issued, there are still thousands who will flock this year to India and other countries, in search of the surgery that they hope will help their appearance. For anyone contemplating surgery abroad, it is vital to understand what is available in terms of compensation if the worst comes to the worst and the surgery goes wrong.

Because of the inherent risk involved in surgery at home or abroad, many medical tourists will be unable to buy http://www.onlyinsurance.com/Travel-Insurance/ for their trip. Even specialist insurers will generally refuse to cover the operation itself.

This being the case, surgery in another country will generally be covered under the liability insurance of the clinic. This sounds fine until it becomes apparent that many countries have strict caps on the amount that can be paid out in the event of a botched operation.

Many patients end up back in the NHS system to correct the mistakes made in foreign surgery, but as Dr. Offer explains, the doctors back home can only do so much:

“Emergency and reconstructive surgery can costs thousands per patients and currently the NHS is providing a safety net for these patients. We wouldn’t turn them away, but of course with something like breast implants, we can only remove them, we can’t replace them. People should think very carefully before contemplating this surgery abroad.”

If you have suffered an injury abroad or had surgery that went wrong, look into the possibility of making a medical negligence claim and securing compensation for your injuries.