Health Tourism and Flying Doctors

British patients picking up their passports and going abroad for treatment are set to soar to 200 000 over the next three years. Their ailments will range from hernia to hip to heart while others will fit in cosmetic work around their break in the sun.

Up to 50 countries are offering bargain priced medical attention which can shave off about 50 percent on private costs in this country even after flights and accommodation are factored into the package.

This fast-growing trend for exporting your bodily problems has been highlighted at World Travel Market at ExCeL London, where 202 countries and regions are exhibiting

“More and more people are showing interest in going overseas for help ,” said Keith Pollard, managing director of Treatment Abroad. “The growth was 25 percent in 2006 and it is anticipated that will be up to 84 percent this year

“Our website has 50,000 visits a month and 1,500 of those make inquiries about treatment.” The destinations are as long haul as Australia and Asia and South America and as accessible as Belgium.

“I was stunned recently when a woman was so frightened of her husband contracting MRSA in hospital over here that she decided they should reject free NH care and spend £8,000 of their savings to have his heart operation in Belgium,” added Mr. Pollard.

Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Malta, Korea, Bulgaria, Latvia, Bolivia, Argentina are just a sprinkling of the destinations which invite health tourists and 62 percent of those who opted to leave home to get well booked it themselves.