PHOENIX — Bob Light's prosthetic hip was eight years overdue for a
replacement last summer. He couldn't work, was in constant pain and
needed a cane to walk. So the 55-year-old Cottonwood resident decided he could wait no longer. He called hospitals in Arizona, Texas and California. The hip replacement, he was told, would cost between......
Overseas, Under the Knife
by ARNOLD MILSTEIN, MARK D. SMITH and JEROME P. KASSIRER,
The NewYork Times|2009-06-09
ONE consequence of the high cost of medical care in the United States
has been the rise of medical tourism. Every year, thousands of
Americans undergo surgery in other countries because the allure of good
care at half the price is too good to pass up. Average total fees at well-regarded hospitals like Apollo and Wockhardt in India are......
Overseas, Under the Knife
by ARNOLD MILSTEIN, MARK D. SMITH and JEROME P. KASSIRER,
The NewYork Times|2009-06-09
Most medical travelers seek cosmetic procedures like facelifts and liposuction, but an increasing number have high-risk operations like heart surgery and joint replacement in places like India, Singapore and Thailand.
Low-cost facilities, world-class expertise and almost no waiting list in Orthopaedic surgeries have made India the hub of medical tourism with more foreigners, needing joint replacements or affected with bone injuries, flocking to the country for treatment.
Can Mexico City win back tourists with free health insurance?
by Susan Derby,
Los Angeles Times |2009-06-07
'Tourists will be insured the moment they register in their hotels,' Alejandro Rojas, the city's tourism minister, told the Financial Times yesterday.
He paid $20,000, including travel and lodging, for the surgery at a private Auckland-area hospital. The replacement was done Dec. 5, and he was home by Christmas.
Just one in five have operations to reduce their risk of another potential fatal attack within the two week target set by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Obese dying while waiting for weight-loss surgery
by Sharon Kirkey,
Ottawa Citizen|2009-06-02
Patients in Canada are dying while waiting their turn for obesity surgery, according to new research that says wait times for bariatric surgery are the longest of any surgically treated condition in the country.
