Medical Tourism
Discussion
So I have had a problem with my lower back on and off for well over 2 years. I have seen various Osteopaths and Physiotherapists with little success and my GP kept refusing to send me for an X-Ray or MRI as he is worried about his budget.
As I have been in South Africa for the past 6 weeks I looked up a private hospital and Ortheopedic surgeon here.
I made an initial appointment for 12 noon on a Thursday. After a few questions and some tests he said he though he knew what the problem was but needed an X-Ray and MRI to be sure. I asked when this could be done and he replied "now, before lunch and I will see you at 8:45 tomorrow to discuss the result". So I had the X-Ray & MRI and the next morning he told me what the problem was and that I needed an 'Epidural'. Great so when can this be done? He replied that he was a bit busy so could not perform the epidural until after lunch!!!
So in less than 48 hours the whole process was compled. The cost - £950 including everything.
Just thought I would share the experience in case it was useful to anybody.
As I have been in South Africa for the past 6 weeks I looked up a private hospital and Ortheopedic surgeon here.
I made an initial appointment for 12 noon on a Thursday. After a few questions and some tests he said he though he knew what the problem was but needed an X-Ray and MRI to be sure. I asked when this could be done and he replied "now, before lunch and I will see you at 8:45 tomorrow to discuss the result". So I had the X-Ray & MRI and the next morning he told me what the problem was and that I needed an 'Epidural'. Great so when can this be done? He replied that he was a bit busy so could not perform the epidural until after lunch!!!
So in less than 48 hours the whole process was compled. The cost - £950 including everything.
Just thought I would share the experience in case it was useful to anybody.
bad company said:
Really? Try getting 2 visits to a consultant, and X-Ray, MRI and an epidural here for under £1000.
Visits to a consultant cost me (well my insurance company) £250 for initial consultation, and £105 for each follow up MRI cost was £245 X- Ray £75, although the ACL surgery was a fair bit more 
Medical tourism is a double edged sword...
It certainly can be cheaper with acceptable results. I have seen good and bad results in my field (Plastic Surgery).
You can go to Poland or wherever and get an augmentation for 50% cheaper than in UK and you could have a fantastic result. However you could be operated on by someone with no training, no formal qualification etc and end up with a terrible result requiring multiple surgeries to put right or dead.
All the £££s saved are wiped out when you have to fly back and forth or get revision surgery done in the UK.
I am not for or against medical tourism. I just think patients should know all the potential problems (and don't expect the NHS to pick up the pieces).
It certainly can be cheaper with acceptable results. I have seen good and bad results in my field (Plastic Surgery).
You can go to Poland or wherever and get an augmentation for 50% cheaper than in UK and you could have a fantastic result. However you could be operated on by someone with no training, no formal qualification etc and end up with a terrible result requiring multiple surgeries to put right or dead.
All the £££s saved are wiped out when you have to fly back and forth or get revision surgery done in the UK.
I am not for or against medical tourism. I just think patients should know all the potential problems (and don't expect the NHS to pick up the pieces).
drfrank said:
Medical tourism is a double edged sword...
It certainly can be cheaper with acceptable results. I have seen good and bad results in my field (Plastic Surgery).
You can go to Poland or wherever and get an augmentation for 50% cheaper than in UK and you could have a fantastic result. However you could be operated on by someone with no training, no formal qualification etc and end up with a terrible result requiring multiple surgeries to put right or dead.
All the £££s saved are wiped out when you have to fly back and forth or get revision surgery done in the UK.
I am not for or against medical tourism. I just think patients should know all the potential problems (and don't expect the NHS to pick up the pieces).
Agree 100%. I had researched the specialist and the hospital but would certainly not go to Poland for Plastic Surgery. What I really wanted was the MRI & X-Ray.It certainly can be cheaper with acceptable results. I have seen good and bad results in my field (Plastic Surgery).
You can go to Poland or wherever and get an augmentation for 50% cheaper than in UK and you could have a fantastic result. However you could be operated on by someone with no training, no formal qualification etc and end up with a terrible result requiring multiple surgeries to put right or dead.
All the £££s saved are wiped out when you have to fly back and forth or get revision surgery done in the UK.
I am not for or against medical tourism. I just think patients should know all the potential problems (and don't expect the NHS to pick up the pieces).
I also probably need a dental implant and will pay the extra to have it done at home just in case something goes wrong.
bad company said:
my GP kept refusing to send me for an X-Ray or MRI as he is worried about his budget.
If you really think that this is the reason GP's don't order investigations then there is no helping any of the medical professionals.bad company said:
What I really wanted was the MRI & X-Ray.
This sums it up nicely. You had a set agenda and weren't happy when your GP told you your symptoms didn't warrant an MRI.I'm pleased you feel happy with the service that you received in S.A. Medical tourism has it's place - particularly for things like breast implants etc. I just think that clearly there was a significant lack of communication between you and your GP here. Did the orthopod state that the epidural was a definitive curative treatment. What did the MRI report show? If a person walks into a GP surgery with symptoms of cauda equina, they'll have an MRI sharpish. Perhaps your symptoms didn't warrant it? [applying sun screen - prepare for burn....]
HughS47 said:
bad company said:
my GP kept refusing to send me for an X-Ray or MRI as he is worried about his budget.
If you really think that this is the reason GP's don't order investigations then there is no helping any of the medical professionals.bad company said:
What I really wanted was the MRI & X-Ray.
This sums it up nicely. You had a set agenda and weren't happy when your GP told you your symptoms didn't warrant an MRI.I'm pleased you feel happy with the service that you received in S.A. Medical tourism has it's place - particularly for things like breast implants etc. I just think that clearly there was a significant lack of communication between you and your GP here. Did the orthopod state that the epidural was a definitive curative treatment. What did the MRI report show? If a person walks into a GP surgery with symptoms of cauda equina, they'll have an MRI sharpish. Perhaps your symptoms didn't warrant it? [applying sun screen - prepare for burn....]
right behind you waiting for the burn
about 2 miles behind you
Additionally
bad company said:
So in less than 48 hours the whole process was compled. The cost - £950 including everything. :smile:
did you get better in the medium to long term? Paying for your choice of investigations and a quick fix is not sound medico-economic sense, and realistically why in the NHS we have NICE who tell us what we should be doing for the greater good. And did the £950 include your flights and hotel/subsistence costs in SA?And why hasn't the NHS cottoned on to this and planned to export our patients abroad for their treatment?
Edited by The_Doc on Sunday 25th January 08:59
HughS47 said:
bad company said:
my GP kept refusing to send me for an X-Ray or MRI as he is worried about his budget.
If you really think that this is the reason GP's don't order investigations then there is no helping any of the medical professionals.bad company said:
What I really wanted was the MRI & X-Ray.
This sums it up nicely. You had a set agenda and weren't happy when your GP told you your symptoms didn't warrant an MRI.I'm pleased you feel happy with the service that you received in S.A. Medical tourism has it's place - particularly for things like breast implants etc. I just think that clearly there was a significant lack of communication between you and your GP here. Did the orthopod state that the epidural was a definitive curative treatment. What did the MRI report show? If a person walks into a GP surgery with symptoms of cauda equina, they'll have an MRI sharpish. Perhaps your symptoms didn't warrant it?
[applying sun screen - prepare for burn....]
Prior to my treatment about 5 years ago Mrs BC also had a back problem to the extent that she could hardly walk. The Osteopath she was seeing said she could do no more for her & advised her to see a specialist. Even then the gp refused a referral & suggested 'pain management'. Mrs BC made her own appointment with a consultant who did a 'facet joint injection' which solved the problem. To quote the consultant 'the gp would take a different view if it was his back'.
I have been in SA on holiday for the past 6 weeks so there was no extra air fare. My back is much better but not perfect so I will see my physiotherapist next week. I would add that the physio had already asked me to ask the gp for an MRI.
IMO the NHS is no longer fit for purpose. It was designed for a time when life expectancy was much lower. The trouble is no politician dare kill it off or suggest major reforms.
Edited by bad company on Sunday 25th January 17:18
FWIW this was the doctor I saw in SA - http://www.orthopaedicgardenroute.co.za/surgeons/d...
I am delighted for you in that you have had a successful outcome. Like I said earlier when things go well it is fantastic, when things go wrong it can be a huge problem.
I think the NHS is a truly wonderful thing. It isn't perfect but if you are sick and need urgent medical care you will receive it, delivered by some of the most highly qualified health professionals in the world.
I think the NHS is a truly wonderful thing. It isn't perfect but if you are sick and need urgent medical care you will receive it, delivered by some of the most highly qualified health professionals in the world.
drfrank said:
I am delighted for you in that you have had a successful outcome. Like I said earlier when things go well it is fantastic, when things go wrong it can be a huge problem.
I think the NHS is a truly wonderful thing. It isn't perfect but if you are sick and need urgent medical care you will receive it, delivered by some of the most highly qualified health professionals in the world.
I agree the NHS is great for some things but IMO it will never be able to cope with situations like mine I think the NHS is a truly wonderful thing. It isn't perfect but if you are sick and need urgent medical care you will receive it, delivered by some of the most highly qualified health professionals in the world.
Isn't this thread a bit like someone going into a garage and saying something is wrong with their car and suggesting a few possible expensive solutions.
Oddly the garage agreed with them and charged the person ££££s who then leaves happy, thinking they are really knowledgable about cars.
Perhaps that's being unfair, if cost was no object, wouldn't we all have MRIs whenever we had any need to see a physio or osteopath?
My employers private health cover has certainly started to use a company to reduce costs by reducing the amount of unnecessary MRI scans. They've even stopped using some of the private physios that recomend MRIs before trying a session of physiotherapy treatment.
I remember seeing a programme about private health clinics bumping up costs a few years ago by recommending unecesary investigative procedures like MRI scans.
Oddly the garage agreed with them and charged the person ££££s who then leaves happy, thinking they are really knowledgable about cars.
Perhaps that's being unfair, if cost was no object, wouldn't we all have MRIs whenever we had any need to see a physio or osteopath?
My employers private health cover has certainly started to use a company to reduce costs by reducing the amount of unnecessary MRI scans. They've even stopped using some of the private physios that recomend MRIs before trying a session of physiotherapy treatment.
I remember seeing a programme about private health clinics bumping up costs a few years ago by recommending unecesary investigative procedures like MRI scans.
el stovey said:
Isn't this thread a bit like someone going into a garage and saying something is wrong with their car and suggesting a few possible expensive solutions.
Oddly the garage agreed with them and charged the person ££££s who then leaves happy, thinking they are really knowledgable about cars.
Perhaps that's being unfair, if cost was no object, wouldn't we all have MRIs whenever we had any need to see a physio or osteopath?
My employers private health cover has certainly started to use a company to reduce costs by reducing the amount of unnecessary MRI scans. They've even stopped using some of the private physios that recomend MRIs before trying a session of physiotherapy treatment.
I remember seeing a programme about private health clinics bumping up costs a few years ago by recommending unecesary investigative procedures like MRI scans.
I get what you are saying but I had the back problem for some years and various Osteopaths and Physiotherapists seemed unable to resolve it. THEY suggested the X-Ray or scan. The best my GP offered was to try Pilates.Oddly the garage agreed with them and charged the person ££££s who then leaves happy, thinking they are really knowledgable about cars.
Perhaps that's being unfair, if cost was no object, wouldn't we all have MRIs whenever we had any need to see a physio or osteopath?
My employers private health cover has certainly started to use a company to reduce costs by reducing the amount of unnecessary MRI scans. They've even stopped using some of the private physios that recomend MRIs before trying a session of physiotherapy treatment.
I remember seeing a programme about private health clinics bumping up costs a few years ago by recommending unecesary investigative procedures like MRI scans.
HughS47 said:
You can request to change GP at the same practice if you aren't happy with his/her decision making...
I had another appointment with my GP this morning. I have had a sore throat since just before Xmas, it feels like something is stuck in my throat but whatever it is it won't shift. He took a look but could see nothing as the problem is too far down my throat and he didn't have the equipment to look. He said if the problem persists for another 3 weeks he will refer me to an ENT Consultant but would not do so now as - He Does Not Have The Budget.So do I pay to see the Consultant privately or wait for another 3 weeks?
bad company said:
I had another appointment with my GP this morning. I have had a sore throat since just before Xmas, it feels like something is stuck in my throat but whatever it is it won't shift. He took a look but could see nothing as the problem is too far down my throat and he didn't have the equipment to look. He said if the problem persists for another 3 weeks he will refer me to an ENT Consultant but would not do so now as - He Does Not Have The Budget.
So do I pay to see the Consultant privately or wait for another 3 weeks?
Does he actually say the words " I do not have the budget? " Honest question. Never come across this upfront rationing. So do I pay to see the Consultant privately or wait for another 3 weeks?
The_Doc said:
Does he actually say the words " I do not have the budget? " Honest question. Never come across this upfront rationing.
He said he has be careful with his budget. He said he hopes my situation may improve over the next few weeks.If you look back at the thread he said the same to Mrs BC when she was in a lot of pain with a slipped disk. Perhaps I need to change my GP.
bad company said:
The_Doc said:
Does he actually say the words " I do not have the budget? " Honest question. Never come across this upfront rationing.
He said he has be careful with his budget. He said he hopes my situation may improve over the next few weeks.If you look back at the thread he said the same to Mrs BC when she was in a lot of pain with a slipped disk. Perhaps I need to change my GP.
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