What better sign that medical tourism is on an upward trajectory than the speed at which people resumed travel for medical reasons abroad after the arduous wait necessitated by the COVID outbreak!
Although medical facilities in many advanced countries are modern and there is skilled personnel to operate them, the cost of specialised medical services is still too high for the bulk of the population.
In the US, for example, the cost of surgeries has been on the rise since the early 2000s, especially those that require that patients remain at the hospital for one day or longer. This scenario is not much different from places like Ireland or England. Any person interested in classic dental implants should budget for £2,500 per single tooth if the surgery is to be done in the UK and hope the jaw is healthy enough not to require additional surgical procedures.
Meanwhile, the same procedure can be carried out at some of Europe’s popular destinations for medical tourism at a much less cost. Take Turkey, for instance, a country where dental services have become very advanced and highly sought. The cost is a small fraction of what is charged elsewhere, including in the UK.
The low cost of medical services is one of the reasons high and middle-income foreigners from developed countries are seeking to have dental veneers, crowns and implants fitted in this Euro/Asian country. You just need £600 or less per tooth, for you to leave Smile Dental Turkey or any of the well-equipped dental clinics in the country with a dashing Hollywood Smile!
If someone is involved in a road accident or has a heart attack, the first thought to come to the minds of those around is the availability of a medical facility nearby, to get emergency help for the injured person. The issue of cost surfaces later. Emergency medical problems like these do not feature in the debate about medical tourism.
On the other hand, people often seek medical treatment abroad for issues that are not urgent. Among those medical treatments are elective surgeries, such as tummy tucks and teeth whitening procedures. A lot of times, too, people travel overseas to get dental veneers, to look more attractive, and be able to catch attention through their extra-bright smiles.
The provision of dental services is a fast-growing area within the medical tourism sector. Whereas many children in the UK born with maxillofacial problems undergo good treatment under the NHS, adults who want to keep up with the times and have their teeth distinctly white prefer to seek quality but inexpensive teeth-whitening and other dental procedures abroad.
A report carried by Forbes in August 2021 indicated that cost is a big reason many people choose to travel abroad for surgical procedures. It put the average cost of hip replacement in the UK and the US at above £14,000 and £26,000 respectively, while noting that this cost could be double for some of the most-sought procedures.
The report explained that the same hip replacement procedures are available in some popular tourist destinations abroad for £6,000 or less. A complete knee replacement surgery, it indicated, which can cost a pretty £44,000 in the US, is done in these popular medical tourist destinations for as little as £9,000.
Research indicates that currently in Turkey, one of such renowned destinations, the average cost of hip replacement is £7,700, with some medical facilities charging as low as £3,500!
With the differences in costs of medical and cosmetic surgeries being very wide among countries, interested individuals have an easy choice to make. As long as the procedures are not required on an emergency basis, one can always get into contact with a clinic abroad and book an appointment. Fortunately, global communication is now easy.
For instance, patients who visit Smile Dental for dental implants or dental veneers normally contact the facility by telephone. They can seek and receive information through Whatsapp, and those living in the UK can use a toll-free line to call.
It is crucial to seek as much information as you can from the hospital you think has the services you need, so that you are certain you are a good candidate for the medical procedure you want before you leave your country.
Make sure to communicate with one of the clinic’s specialists and ask pertinent questions, such as the likelihood you are going to be an inpatient. This is important because inpatient charges are normally higher than outpatient fees. Like in all travel arrangements, it is crucial to have your budget right at the planning stage.
You might consider fitting dental veneers as a simple and direct procedure, only for your dental surgeon to recommend that you first have a surgical procedure to fix your jaw – the doctor having been guided by the information and images you provide digitally.
Considering the UK has an impressive health system, many residents who seek to venture out for medical treatment usually seek aesthetic procedures. These are procedures aimed at improving a person’s looks. It could be breast augmentation, tummy tucks, or even facial plastic surgery, but dental implants and other dental procedures seem to be the highest in demand in some countries like Turkey.
One reason aesthetic dental procedures are very popular today is that they are among the least invasive procedures. When you have dental veneers fitted, for example, nothing much changes in your daily life soon after the procedure, as you have no pain or significant discomfort to weigh you down. Instead, you have renewed energy that comes with the eagerness to show the world what a bright smile you now have!
People no longer seek medical attention solely for physical health. They also want to be motivated in life, and such motivation comes from knowing that other people think highly of them right from their first encounter. So, whether people are seeking to have their facial wrinkles managed or their teeth made brighter, they are convinced they are getting value for their money. We would be right, then, to conclude that medical tourism is here to stay, and its demand can only rise.
