Many 'driven' to treatment abroad
Updated on 11 March 2008
Avoiding infections such as MRSA and NHS waiting lists are driving people abroad for medical treatment, according to a poll.
A survey of 648 patients who had treatments overseas found that 83% also wanted to save money on the cost of private procedures in the UK.
Most (97%) had a good experience and would be willing to go abroad for treatment again.
Saving cash was the main motivating factor, but 63% of those having elective procedures wanted to avoid NHS waiting lists while 56% were worried about infections like MRSA.
The poll was carried out for the website www.treatmentabroad.com, which estimated that 100,000 people travelled abroad for surgery and dental treatment in 2007.
Around 6% of those questioned for the survey had spent more than £10,000 on treatment.
Nine out of 10 (92%) of cosmetic surgery patients were women, while 69% of those having elective surgery and scans were men.
More than half of people choosing to have treatment abroad were aged between 40 and 59.
The top destinations for treatment include Hungary, mostly for dental treatment, Cyprus for cosmetic surgery, and India for surgery and scans.
Spain, Belgium and the Czech Republic were also among the most popular destinations, according to the poll.
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