For nearly a decade, the concept of medical tourism has been misunderstood and received bad media coverage in developed countries. Today not only has that trend reversed, but medical tourism is being embraced as a viable option for people in need of affordable medical care.

The preparation for traveling as a medical tourist is somewhat more extensive than preparing for treatment in your home country and will be require substantially more than the driver’s license you need in your local community!

In Bordo, France a 7th European Tourism Forum will take place from 17th to 19th of September.

Sadly, there are many cases of people who have died without the life saving medical care, because they were waiting to raise enough money to pay for the procedure. Others have lived needlessly with knee or hip pain, because they were waiting as long as possible before having to pay $60-80,000 for replacement. There is no need to wait!

As insurance costs rise at home, and wait time lengthens in the midst of government red tape, millions are taking advantage of an industry that once belonged to the elite. The concept of medical tourism is not new to the rich and famous of the world. They have been traveling abroad to receive services for many years.

There is hope for those who are in need! There are low cost alternatives, available in a plethora of countries across the world, many of which are in Asia. Countries like Mexico, India, Thailand, Costa Rica, Poland and others are offering world class services at third world prices!

The bottom line is that the worker in need of a heart bypass can obtain one in another country for $10,000 vs. $70,000 in the US. He can get a knee replacement for $6,000 vs. $50,000! It can be scheduled within a couple of weeks in another country, rather than wait a year or more in the US or Canada.

The bottom line is that countries specializing in medical tourism can offer a patient what developed countries cannot, and that is the attentive and often individualized care that all patients desire. The doctors and staff at the foreign facilities create an atmosphere that resembles a vacation package resort, to make it best possible experience that one might have, considering that the purpose is to have a medical procedure done.

Cosmetic surgery savings are even greater: A full facelift that would cost $20,000 in the U.S. runs about $3,000 in Latvia.

The Pancreatic Islet Transplant Programme was set up at Southmead Hospital five years ago to help people throughout the region suffering with hypoglycaemia, a severe complication of diabetes.