Five Things You Should Know Before Travelling for Health Care

I received just the sweetest email from Aoife Murray of RevaHealth.com asking me if I’d like to feature a “Five Things You Should Know Before Travelling for Health Care”. It’s something that does interest me a little since I had to get some plastic surgery recently for, ooh, what’ll we say? 15 inches of scarring on my tummy? Yup that’s about right. Yes I’m one of the very few people in the world (I hope) that had to have TWO operations for my appendix. Anyway enough about me. Here are some great tips from Calaen King and the team at RevaHealth.com.

Being informed is a key part of every decision we make, from choosing a restaurant to booking a summer holiday. In an age where Google has become a verb and the media abounds with self-help experts, it is surprising how few people inform themselves about something as important as their healthcare options. Cheap airfares and expensive treatment at home are causing more and more patients to travel abroad in search of great value crowns in Budapest, a cheeky nip and tuck in Thailand, or an uplifting boob job in Mexico. Here are the five things you should know before travelling for healthcare:

1. Is the healthcare provider qualified to carry out the particular procedure and what kind of success rate has he/she?
You cannot take it for granted that your healthcare provider will be properly qualified- qualifications and training differ widely from country to country. You should contact the medical or dental council in the country of treatment to see if the surgeon is fully qualified and currently registered to practice. If you are receiving any kind of specialist treatment, it is very important to make sure they are further qualified in that area. A super-sleuth patient will also find out if the surgeon is qualified to practice in the patient’s home country. You should ask how many times your healthcare provider has carried out a particular procedure and what kind of long term success rates former patients have experienced. If the clinic is uneasy about providing this information, walk on by.

2. What will the clinic do for you should anything go wrong?

We’ve all seen the healthcare horror stories, the ripped stitches, missing teeth and ugly scars. Although these situations are the worst case scenarios and are not experienced by the majority of patients, things can go wrong and you need to know how your clinic would deal with it. Do they offer guarantees, refunds, or free remedial treatment? If something goes wrong when you get home, will they cover the cost of return travel and treatment? Make sure that you could live with the answers they give.

3. What other options do I have?

Just because your favourite celebrity has had a particular procedure done doesn’t make it the right course for you. Always ask if there are any alternatives, such as a newer, less risky or cheaper procedure. If you don’t ask, you won’t receive.

4. How much is it going to cost?

No need to roll your eyes like that, I know you’re not stupid. Bear with me on this one. Although this is generally the first thing a potential patient will want to find out about, there may be some hidden costs not originally considered or budgeted for. Things like x-rays, anaesthetics or drugs can add considerably to the cost of treatment. The last thing you want is to arrive in sunny Malaysia to be told that the boob job that you thought was going to be a snip at €3,000 is working out at more like €6,000. You could have stayed at home in rainy Ireland for that.

5. Can you speak to some previous patients?

The best way to get honest answers about your clinic is to talk to people who have been in the same situation. The clinic should be willing to put you in touch with someone from your home country who had the same procedure carried out. If they can’t or won’t, (which is in itself quite a bad omen) go online to find someone. Usually people who are either very happy or very unhappy with their experiences go online to spread the word.

The message here is quite clear and nicely put. It’s your body – do some research before travelling. Thanks again to Aoife, Calaen and all the crew at revahealth.com

A page dedicated to people that help me with the weekly Five Things is here.