Looking for healthcare or cosmetic surgery without the crazy price tag? Medical tourism could be exactly what you need.
Getting medical care in your home country can sometimes be very expensive. Wages are high. And bureaucracies push up the price by insisting on mountains of paperwork, rules, and regulations.
For these reasons, many people seek the medical attention they need abroad. Prices are lower, waiting lists are shorter and you can often combine your trip with a holiday.
However, doing medical tourism properly requires some skill. Just going abroad and hoping for the best could lead to disaster.
Read the following tips for medical tourism to discover how to get the help you need in the right way.
Tip 1: Be Fit For It
Before you head abroad for treatment, be sure that you have good control of your current medical condition. For instance, if you have heart disease, travelling on a plane, handling luggage, and going to a completely foreign environment could prove disruptive and might even make your condition worse. The last thing you want is to have a major medical event while travelling 40,000 feet above the Earth.
Get the go-ahead from your doctor that your current condition is being properly managed before you make the journey. Inform them of your plans so that they can provide advice on how to keep yourself safe.
Tip 2: Do Your Homework First
When receiving treatment abroad, the foreign provider will usually exchange correspondence with you, both before and after. It is critical that you understand these letters so you know what to expect and how to recover.
Many patients in this situation use medical translation services. The idea here is to get an accurate interpretation of what your medical documents say so that there’s no ambiguity. This way, you can avoid confusion and mistakes.
Tip 3: Pack Properly
Before you travel, make sure that you bring copies of your prescriptions with you. Make it so that the doctors in the foreign country can easily find out what brands and dosages you use.
Tip 4: Know The Do’s & Don’ts
Before you book a vacation in conjunction with your medical trip, check which activities you can take part in. For instance, after some surgeries, you might not be able to swim, take alcohol, go on long coach tours, or sunbathe. Your medical provider will usually provide you with all the information that you need.
Tip 5: Cover Off The Logistics
Depending on the treatment you are going to receive, you might not be able to transport yourself to and from the medical clinic. Ensure, therefore, that you arrange transport in advance. The hospital should be able to put you in contact with taxi firms that they work with. Or you could take a friend with you to support you throughout your medical journey.
Going abroad for medical treatments can help you save a lot of money and improve your wellbeing. But you need to prepare. It is much more DIY than using domestic services.
Are you contemplating medical tourism? Or have your already been abroad for treatment? Share your thoughts on the topic with the SOCIÉTÉ community in the comments below.
