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Superbug fear drives NHS patients abroad
Sophie Goodchild, Health Editor11.03.08
Record numbers of Londoners are abandoning the NHS and travelling abroad for medical treatment.
About 22,000 people in the capital went overseas for surgery and dental treatment last year - a rise of nearly a quarter on 2006.
Fear over infection from superbugs is now a major reason for them opting to go private instead of receiving treatment on the NHS.
More than half of surgery patients said they were worried about contracting an infection such as MRSA in a British hospital. This comes a day after the Evening Standard revealed more than nine patients a week are dying from hospital acquired infections.
The findings are published today by research group Treatment Abroad from its international medical tourist survey.
Its report also highlights a growing lack of confidence in the NHS - nearly two thirds opted for overseas operations to avoid NHS waiting lists.
An estimated 100,000 people from Britain travelled abroad for surgery and dental treatment last year, including fertility treatment, knee operations and cosmetic surgery. This compares with 70,000 in 2006.
The research shows a wide variance in the amount of money patients spent on treatment with about six per cent paying more than £10,000.
The top destinations for treatment include Hungary, which is popular for dental treatment.
Patients have travelled to India for procedures such as eye and knee operations, as well as scans.
The majority of cosmetic surgery patients were female - more than four out of five but the study found that overall it was not only women who travelled abroad for treatment - two out of five who responded to the survey were male.
Some experts have warned about the dangers of seeking treatment abroad, especially patients undergoing cosmetic surgery or dental treatment.
But Keith Pollard, managing director of Treatment Abroad, said the majority of people were happy with the care they received overseas.
He said: "There is a lot of misconception about the quality and experiences of medical tourists.
"The quality and range of treatment available, coupled with the cost benefitsmeans that having overseas treatment is now a real option for many people."
NHS London said a lot of money had been invested in combating hospital acquired infections.
A spokesman said: "Our evidence is that the rate of superbug infections is actually going down in London.
"A lot of the concern over deaths comes from the fact they are now recorded on birth certificates but rates are not going up."
'I SAVED £1,000 AND HAD HOLIDAY IN SUN'
Travel writer Sharon Livingston saved more than a £1,000 by going to Cyprus to have her broken teeth fixed.
The 42-year-old from Edgware said that 10 years ago the treatment would have been carried out free on the NHS.
But she discovered it was cheaper combining the dentistry with a holiday in the sun than paying her private dentist. The procedure was carried out two years ago and Ms Livingston has no regrets.
She said: "It's something I'd been thinking about for a long time. I did speak to the dentist beforehand over a couple of weeks and he sent me pictures of the treatment digitally.
"In my mind I thought if I don't like the look of the place then I don't have to go through with it. But in the end I didn't have any concerns and everything has worked out fine."
In Britain, it would have cost Ms Livingston £800 per tooth compared with £250 at the Nicosia Dental Polyclinic in Cyprus.
She said: "There are some things I would not travel abroad for, like invasive treatment. But Cyprus was a good place to get treatment and also to have a holiday. In this case it was a lot cheaper than in the UK. Ten or 15 years ago you would have got this free on the NHS but my dentist is now private so that is not an option."
Reader views (3)
You don't have to travel far to India for the surgery or diagnostic. I had knee arthroscopy surgery done in Warsaw in one of the best private clinic in Poland. I was surprised by the high quality and I saved 60% on the procedure. Everything was arranged by MTA Poland agency, which took care of me during my entire stay
- Luise, Manchester, UK
I doubt that it has anything to do with super bugs, anyone who's had to step foot in a hospital recently knows what the NHS is like and if they can afford to go abroad then why wouldn't they? I certainly wouldn't want to mix with the riff raff in my local hospital.
- P Burstow, Sutton, UK
If you are unlucky enough, by postcode to live in an area which perhaps has a high level of fright and complaint, your only option may be casualty or walk in clinics, so to have the added burden of hospital infections as well as perhaps fearing the complaint process which stalls the public and aids the protection of non medical fat cat salaries, this leaves some little rural and forgotten about rural pockets perhaps not diagnosing stuff early enough and fearing hospital as well. Does Whitehall care, I think not.
- Mary Foord Brown, Suffolk Coastal
