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YESTERDAY we
revealed how dentists from Hungary have set up surgeries in inflatable tents
around the UK in a bid to lure Britons to their country for further treatment.
An estimated 40,000
Britons already head abroad for dental treatment and a further 75,000 will seek
medical treatment overseas this year alone. Experts predict this will rise to
200,000 by the end of the decade, creating a so-called health tourism market
worth an astonishing £886 million.
Here SADIE DODDS asks patients about their
'health holidays'
Both my hips were replaced in Mumbai
DENIS, 48, is a construction worker and lives near Edinburgh with
partner. He paid £8,000 for a double
hip replacement in India.
FACED with either a three-year wait for a double hip
replacement on the NHS or a £16,500 bill to have it done privately, I had the
operation in India instead. Before, I could barely walk or work due to the pain.
I'd first had problems in my early 30's but was
told I was too young for surgery and that I must struggle on.
By last summer I could struggle no more. Then, during extensive Internet
research, my partner Heather found that the surgeon who pioneered what's known
as the Birmingham hip resurface method of replacement had worked for 20 years
in the UK and was now in a private hospital in Mumbai. So we
called and asked to arrange to have him carry out the surgery.
Two
days later we had Indian visas and within three weeks we were on the plane.
When our chauffeur-driven car took us out of the airport and passed slums, we were terrified at what we'd let ourselves in for. But the hospital
was astonishing.
We had our own huge private suite with a computer, TV, DVD player and even a mini bar. I had
a dedicated team of nurses, the surgeon was incredible and cleaners came in every few hours.
I had my hip replacements separately four days apart then two
weeks of intensive physio.
The aftercare was so effective that I was well
enough for us to extend our stay and have a three-week holiday, first in Kerala and
then in Goa.
The entire Indian trip and surgery cost just £8,000.
I had a breast op in Malaysia
NATASHA 31, lives in Nottinghamshire. She had her breasts enlarged from 34B to 34DD on a three-week trip
DESPITE saving for the
surgery for years, the lure of clothes and holidays meant I constantly raided
my bank account and never reached the £4,000-plus needed to get my boobs done
in this country. My mum's similar operation five years ago had cost £3,500.
So when a chance came up to get my boobs done and
have an exotic holiday abroad, all for just £1,000,1 couldn't resist.
The only catch was that I had to be filmed for a TV show
I was apprehensive about surgery abroad but my
dad said: "If you're worried about anything, get the first
plane home." I didn't need
to.
I flew to Penang in Malaysia alone and two days
later had the operation, so I had little time to ponder. It took more than two weeks to
recover. My mum's surgery meant I knew more than most about the procedure but it wasn't until I met
the consultant the day before the
op that I was 100 per cent sure I was going through with it. His easy confidence reassured me.
The
operation took less than 45 minutes and when I peeled off the bandages a day later,
my breasts looked so natural, so full -
perfect!
I had just two thumbprint bruises at the sides and two incisions below. The great
thing about surgery on holiday is that
no one need know. And I came back with more confidence than I've ever had.
Ideal dentist in
Budapest
Julie, 50 is a journalist
from North London. She travelled to Budapest for her dental
treatment
I MET the two dentists who would be treating me in London for an initial
consultation. It costs £25 to £45 but that is refunded if you go ahead with
treatment.
All the company's dentists are registered to
practice in Britain. This was very reassuring as I could go to their central London
clinic if I had any problems on return from Hungary. All the wor
k is guaranteed.
I wouldn't sign up to a practice that wasn't
registered, but I have to admit that I hadn't even thought about whether I would
have been able to claim on my travel insurance if anything had gone wrong during the
trip
In Budapest I was greeted by the same two dentists
I had met in the UK. The facilities were outstanding. There were eight
high-tech, spotless surgeries staffed by highly skilled dentists and
assistants. Everyone spoke excellent English. I was told 98 per cent of
patients are from the UK.
Once I was in the chair, the dentist went through
everything once more and questions were welcomed. On the first day I had a normal cleaning with a hygienist and then closed curettage periodontal surgery, which is essentially deep cleaning.
Although it doesn't hurt, it numbed my face terribly for three hours.
The cost was £179 compared to £480 in Britain.
The following day I had an implant inserted,
which cost £629 compared to a UK price of £2,100. He drilled into the bone and
put the implant in and then stitched me up. I was given antibiotics, painkillers and an ice-pack in case of swelling.
Although I was numb, I asked if I could go sightseeing and he agreed, as long
as I took my ice-pack. Fortunately, I didn't experience any major swelling
The following day I was checked over to see if
everything was OK before I went home. I was also given an appointment to have
my stitches removed the following week in London.
It was cheaper - the flights were less than £100
- and I'm certain the treatment was just as good.
Eyes lasered by Tunis surgeon
Former
lawyer LINDA BRIGGS has had numerous cosmetic and medical procedures
abroad.
OTHER than a facelift in London in 1999, I've had all
subsequent cosmetic surgery and several medical procedures abroad. From liposuction
on my stomach, hips and thighs in Croatia in 2002 to having my eyelids seen to
in Poland three years ago, plus mammograms, thyroid checks and surgery to
correct my sight in ,
I've done it all. The Lasik eye surgery would have
cost £4,000 in the UK but was a third of that in Tunisia.
When I found that some cosmetic surgeons in the UK traded on their posh
Harley Street addresses without the credentials to back it up, I decided to
find surgeons more qualified abroad.
People may be surprised that I highly recommend Tunisia for certain
procedures because it has an image of a poor, unclean North African country.
But the private clinic I use there was built to American medical standards by a
consortium of wealthy businessmen. It's spotlessly clean and upmarket.
I'm planning a mini facelift in Cyprus next as I
know a very good facial surgeon there.
India was place for my bypass
MAVIS, 70, lives with husband Kenneth, 72, in Wolverhampton
After being diagnosed with a
blocked aorta in 2002, my quality of life
deteriorated rapidly. With the blood supply to my legs severely restricted I
could no longer enjoy daily walks with my husband or play with my
grandchildren.
Walking was possible only with crutches and much of
the time I had to use a wheelchair.
Although doctors told me the condition required surgery, it was nine
months before they even put me on an NHS waiting list for a bi-femoral bypass.
Six months later I got a date for the surgery and
two weeks after that the NHS cancelled it due to "unforeseen
circumstances". By this time it was August 2005 and when I still hadn't
received a new date a month later, I'd had enough. But to have the surgery
privately in the UK would have cost us up to £25,000.
I found out about a company which organises surgery in
India, and I had a telephone consultation with one of its doctors. Three weeks
later we were on a plane to New Delhi.
I had extensive medical tests and three days later, once they'd treated
me for diabetes that I didn't know I had, I had the operation. For five days I
was in intensive care but Kenneth was by my side as he was allowed to sleep in
my room with me.
The private hospital was scrupulously clean and everyone from the
cleaners, who scrubbed my room three times a day, to the senior surgeons was so
friendly and professional. I even had one-to-one nursing care.
After two weeks in hospital, Kenneth and I spent
a week in a first class hotel so I could recover for the flight home. The
entire experience including flights and hotel cost just £7,500.
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