UK: 70k leave the country for medical treatment

[JMT]

Record numbers go abroad for health treatment with 70,000 escaping NHS

28th October 2007
dailymail.co.uk

Record numbers of Britons are travelling abroad for medical treatment to escape the NHS - with 70,000 patients expected to fly out this year.

And by the end of the decade 200,000 "health tourists" will fly as far as Malaysa and South Africa for major surgery to avoid long waiting lists and the rising threat of superbugs, according to a new report.



The first survey of Britons opting for treatment overseas shows that fears of hospital infections and frustration of often waiting months for operations are fuelling the increasing trend.

Patients needing major heart surgery, hip operations and cataracts are using the internet to book operations to be carried out thousands of miles away.

India is the most popular destination for surgery, followed by Hungary, Turkey, Germany, Malaysia, Poland and Spain. But dozens more countries are attracting health tourists.
Research by the Treatment Abroad website shows that Britons have travelled to 112 foreign hospitals, based in 48 countries, to find safe, affordable treatment.

Almost all of those who had received treatment abroad said they would do the same again, with patients pointing out that some hospitals in India had screening policies for the superbug MRSA that have yet to be introduced in this country.

Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said the figures were a "terrible indictment" of government policies that were undermining the efforts of NHS staff to provide quality services.

The findings come amid further revelations about the Government's mishandling of NHS policies, and ahead of official statistics that will embarrass ministers.

On Wednesday, figures are expected to show rising numbers of hospital infections. Cases of the superbug Clostridium difficile, which have risen five-fold in the past decade, are expected to increase beyond the 55,000 cases reported last year.

On the same day, statistics will show that vast sums have been spent on pay, with GPs' earnings rising by more than 50 per cent in three years to an average of more than £110,000.

New research shows that growing NHS bureaucracy has left nurses with little time to see patients – most spending long periods dealing with paperwork.

Katherine Murphy, of the Patients' Association, said the health tourism figures reflected shrinking public faith in the Government's handling of the NHS.

"The confidence that the public has in NHS hospitals has been shattered by the growth of hospital infections and this Government's failure to make a real commitment to tackling it," she told The Sunday Telegraph.

"People are simply frightened of going to NHS hospitals, so I am not surprised the numbers going abroad are increasing so rapidly.

"My fear is that most people can't afford to have private treatment – whether in this country or abroad."

Low prices in India, where flights, hotels and a heart bypass cost less than half the price charged by British private hospitals, explain its top ranking in the survey by Treatment Abroad, a British website providing information on hospitals overseas.

Hungary's popularity rests on a boom in dentistry, thanks to a shortage of NHS dentists in Britain.

The British Medical Association advised people to be careful when considering treatment abroad, highlighting the dangers of flying soon after surgery, which can cause complications.

A spokesman said: "Travelling can place a great deal of stress on the body. Patients travelling abroad for surgery should consider their fitness to fly and get an understanding of an appropriate convalescence period before attempting to return home."

A Department of Health official said the number of patients seeking treatment abroad was a tiny fraction of the 13 million treated on the NHS each year.
Waiting times had fallen. Almost half of patients were treated within 18 weeks of seeing a GP. Most people who had hospital care did not contract infections.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

[web_norah]

A Department of Health official said the number of patients seeking treatment abroad was a tiny fraction of the 13 million treated on the NHS each year.
Waiting times had fallen. Almost half of patients were treated within 18 weeks of seeing a GP. Most people who had hospital care did not contract infections.


as opposed to life-time debt for not having any money to pay for medical costs (or having no insurance).

i'll take the NHS.

[michael^heaven]

Or, just do what many of those living south of the border partake...obtain healthcare, Stateside, & immediately go back to Mexico without paying a dime.

[slamminshaun]

Originally Posted by web_norah

Almost half of patients were treated within 18 weeks of seeing a GP.

Oh wow Norah....that's really something to brag about. As long as you know 18 weeks ahead of time when you'll need a doctor, you've got nothing to worry about.

[cire]

I think that generally speaking, people are going to go where they can get care. If it's faster to get care, especially for something serious, then by all means people should flock to other countries. However, I do not think this is something that only happens in the countries with free healthcare. It's all propaganda and I guess it just depends on what you believe.

[cire]

Originally Posted by slamminshaun

As long as you know 18 weeks ahead of time when you'll need a doctor, you've got nothing to worry about.

Agreed, but maybe this will cut down on people going to the doctor for dumb shit, like the sniffles, or a cut on their arm. This is one of the reasons they believe they had the staph infection last week or the week before, is because people are so anti-bacterial CRAZY that our defenses are going to shit. Anywho, if less people go, then there will be openings.

Is there any info out there about the amount of doctors and nurses in these countries that have socialized healthcare and their citizens leave to go get healthcare somewhere else. About a year ago, I heard and saw some stats on Canada's need for doctors and nurses, and how they were so understaffed and that's why people had long wait times for certain procedures. Knowing that, I would think that having an ample amount of both doctors and nurses, would negate the wait times, it's just a matter of having the resources to have the system.

[web_norah]

Originally Posted by slamminshaun

Oh wow Norah....that's really something to brag about. As long as you know 18 weeks ahead of time when you'll need a doctor, you've got nothing to worry about.

if i had to wait that long, on top of having the choice of NHS, i also have private insurance because my employer pays for it, so i can choose for my medical care rather than pay through the roof or have nothing like a lot of Americans.

i have choices ...as do many people residing in Britain, paying for NHS and private care.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by cire

Agreed, but maybe this will cut down on people going to the doctor for dumb shit, like the sniffles, or a cut on their arm.

yeah, that will teach those pesky heart surgery patients.