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Guide to medical tourism: What guarantee should you expect?

Whether at home or abroad there are no guarantees regarding the result of any surgical or dental procedure, and this is especially true with plastic surgery where the results vary so much with each individual, and the perceived goal could be very different from the attainable goal.  However, the one guarantee a patient CAN ask for is that if a complication should arise, the surgeon or dentist will correct it without additional fees.
 
For example, Mills & Mills Medical in Spain, offer a twelve month guarantee covering the cost of flights, accommodation, tests, investigations or surgery that might be required, if you need to return for further treatment.
 
Standards of legal protection for patients vary from country to country and once a provider is chosen, research the legal situation (you may wish to call or visit the relevant country’s embassy or consular office website) and find out what protection (if any), are guaranteed to you as a visiting patient and use the web to research patient protection laws.
 

What to check in the document

Once you have decided on a provider or a broker ask for everything to be outlined in an agreement or contract which clearly describes the services provided to you at the agreed price.  Check if there is anything you are not sure about and get someone else to read over the contract for you.  Standards of legal protection for patients vary dramatically from country to country but according to Tonya Peterson of SSI International, a medical company which organizes cosmetic surgery holidays in Venezuela, one of the main points that potential patients should check is the refund policy in case:
  • you change your mind once you arrive
  • you have a pre existing medical condition that causes the surgery to be cancelled
  • you can’t get all the procedures you have paid for.  
 
It is also important to clarify the clauses regarding follow-up care and what happens if anything goes wrong.  This varies for someone having a hip replacement to someone having dental veneers but it is expected that the provider will stand by their patients and the work, and do whatever is necessary to make it right.  Be sure to clarify this beforehand.
 

Get a quote

Our "Get a quote" service, enables you to compare prices and providers, quickly and efficiently. Complete the enquiry form for the kind of treatment that you are seeking, select the countries that you are interested in and you will get a response from a several hospitals, clinics and medical tourism companies within 48 hours.

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What does it cost?

We run an independent survey of medical tourism prices, compiled from price information from 108 clinics, hospitals and healthcare providers in 30 countries. You can compare prices for cosmetic surgery, elective surgery (such as hip, knee and eye) and dental treatment abroad.