Boom in Brits going aboard for routine surgery:
European clinics see rise in UK health tourists paying knock-down prices for hip and knee replacements – as NHS battles record waiting times.
Medical tourism is enjoying a boom as record NHS waiting lists force UK patients abroad for treatment.
European clinics are reporting significant surges in Brits choosing them for joint surgery, such as hip and knee replacements, which are among the most delayed NHS treatments.
The rise comes as the NHS struggles to cope with backlogs caused by industrial action, winter flu, the pandemic and patients stuck in hospital because a lack of social care.
The current NHS England waiting list for treatment stands at a record 7.21 million and, despite a slight fall in January, it could climb above ten million as services buckle under the strain.
Orthopaedic procedures are top of the waiting lists with NHS data showing 700,888 patients on hold for knee, hip and other operations, the largest total for more than a decade. More than 60,000 patients have been waiting more than a year, compared to 436 on the list in January 2020, according to the British Orthopaedic Association.
Clinics and hospitals across Europe are reporting an influx of patients keen to beat the NHS waiting lists and attracted by fees that are around 50% of UK private health charges.
Credit Daily Mail
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