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Lifestyles of the medical tourist
Travelling abroad for surgery not reserved for the rich
By KARIN BASARABA
But after the Milwaukee plumber discovered a hip replacement would be 80 per cent less in India, he instead packed his bags to solve a problem that had plagued him for most of his life.
Some may get the impression that medical tourists are just wealthy and impatient – but that is clearly not the case. Thousands regular people, from all parts of the modern world, are traveling outside their country to obtain medical services.
They’re real estate agents, teachers, carpenters – regular people with nothing in common except for saving money, time and their health.
Chronic pain began for Konkol after he had a hip infection when he was 13. After 41 years of living in pain, he decided it was time to replace his hip. But because his problem stemmed from a pre-existing condition, his insurance wouldn’t cover it.
He was about to throw in the towel when he discovered Krishna Heart Institute, MedSolution.com’s partner hospital in India, on the Internet. Konkol felt comfortable with Indian doctors, as many of the physicians he had in the US were from India.
"I thought, ‘These well-trained, astute doctors must come from somewhere.’ So I took a leap of faith and decided to go over to their homeland," Konkol said.
He was a little apprehensive about going over alone, but as soon as he arrived, he felt right at home.
"When a nurse asked me why my family didn’t come with me and I explained that they couldn’t take the time off, she just smiled and said, ‘That’s O.K. We’ll be your family.’"
"I was thinking I’d be in this hospital with no one to talk to. But the people were all so caring. Just the fact that four doctors saw me every day – that’s unheard of in the states," he said.
Konkol’s full trip, including all surgical fees, meals, hospital stay and flight, cost just under $8,000. The replacement in the US would have cost at least $40,000.
Saving money is usually the deciding factor when choosing to go abroad for surgery. And often people have enough money left over to stay a bit longer and do some sight-seeing.
Take Mark Porter, a travel writer from Edinburgh, Scotland. The National Health Service refused to do the dental work he needed and a private clinic would cost him upwards of £32,000 ($55,623 USD). Even a student dental clinic declined to do the work.
But then a colleague recommended traveling to Poland for the work, where the dentists were just as good, but a lot cheaper.
Porter’s total bill, which included 18 porcelain crowns, was £3,000 ($5,215 USD). And thanks to the influx of inexpensive flights to Poland from the UK, Britons are flocking to the former Eastern Bloc for surgery.
Medical tourism has been popular in the UK and Europe for some years now, but is just gaining acceptance in North America.
"To have it done privately in the UK, it’s almost as much as open-heart surgery," said Campbell, who is from Braemar, Scotland.
Campbell also had his two surgeries performed at the Krishna Heart Institute in Ahmedabad and spent significantly less than the £8,000 he had budgeted for his seven-week stay.
If he had decided to go private in the UK it would have set him back at least £20,000.
But Campbell, a former retail manager, said that it was the quality of care that he was most impressed with, not the low cost of the treatment.
"The treatment I received was absolutely perfect," said Campbell. "The room I was in was swept, disinfected and mopped out three times a day and every day the surgeon and members of his surgical team would come in to check if everything was O.K."
However, Campbell was most disappointed with the NHS and its inability to help him out.
"I still do find it somewhat disgusting in as much that I’ve worked all my life and paid National Insurance and taxes and never asked for surgery in that time," he said.
"And yet when I want something significant back from the NHS I wasn’t able to get it."
But when the 50-year-old mother was told that there would be a three-year wait for the corrective surgery, she booked herself a flight to India instead.
On the day she was scheduled to see the specialist in Calgary, she was out of surgery and beginning her convalescent period.
Thurairajan was reimbursed by the Alberta government for almost the entire cost of the surgery. She used the little-used out-of-country reimbursement form from Alberta Health.
"I had a legitimate claim, I processed it just the way they wanted, I didn’t make any unreasonable demands," she said.
The Alberta government looks at each claim on a case-by-case basis. In order for the surgery to be reimbursed, it must be medically necessary and unavailable in Canada.
The province then reimburses the patient for what it would have cost to have the surgery done in Alberta.
Thurairajan would rather have had the surgery at home around family and friends, but said given the choice, she would return for India for another surgery if need be.
"I will always go back to India if I need surgery again," she said. "I have lost faith in the Canadian system."
With files from the Daily Mail, BBC News, the National Post and CBC News Online.
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