Medical Tourism Blog

Make no mistake - Ordeal it is. Medical tourism is no picnic, whatever the advertisements about safaris and beaches may say. It's no fun to chase a lion in the African plains after surgery, or for that matter to be chased by a lion ( All right - No more lions ). Point is, are you going for the treatment or the tourism? If it's a bit of ayurveda or acupuncture or a dental overhaul or a facelift, by all means enjoy the tourism. But if you're looking to solve a serious medical problem with surgery involved, let's not get diverted from the main issue - Finding the best hospital and the best doctor within your budget.

Tips for the lonely patient:

1. Safety first - Whatever your requirement, talk only to JCI accredited hospitals. Says Brian Gooch, JCI consultant, "I tell folks that even if they do not take the final step and go for accreditation, just by following the accreditation standards, they will be a better organization – better for their physicians, better for their staff and most importantly, better for their patients. " Source - Brian Gooch interview.

2. Destination guide - Every country has it's area of specialization ( India for heart and orthopaedic surgery, Thailand for Lasik surgery, knee replacement, Costa Rica and Hungary for Dental surgery, Argentina for facelifts and cosmetic surgery, etc. ). Do your research and find out which country has the best facilities to cope with your treatment. Refer to the medical tourism destination guide.

3. Prepare and plan for everything beforehand. How many days will you be needing to recover? Do you need a companion? How soon after the treatment will it be safe to travel? Are there any hidden costs? What about post surgical care after you return home? Refer to the medical tourism FAQ.

4. Emotional preparation - Physical planning is necessary, but medical tourists often come under enormous stress because of the double whammy of sickness and adjusting to a foreign culture. Says Maggi Grace ( see interview ), author of the book State of the Heart, "People thinking about going [abroad for treatment] need both the personal and the practical. It's an emotional adventure for sure. You have to be physically and emotionally prepared."

5. Ignore all of the above 4 points and hire New Medical Horizons Inc. to take care of all this for you. This is not a joke. There are good companies and there are fly by night operators. When you are thinking of going abroad for medical treatment, there's one thing that's absolutely important - Health first. Everybody involved - Yourself, medical tourism facilitators and the health provider, need to have your continued good health as the No.1 priority. If you're sure about this one thing, the rest of the pieces will automatically fall into place.

6. Lastly, a bit of inside information for you. I shouldn't be telling you this, but....You see, there's an 80% chance that a specialist surgeon in a JCI accredited hospital in Asia does the same work somewhere in the USA or the UK, in a consulting capacity. Contact your local healthcare provider, and see if they have any consultants who also work in hospitals in Asia. If so, just contact the surgeon, and have a talk. Most likely, you'll end up being treated by the same guy, but in Asia, and at 1/8th of the cost.