Traveling to another country to get medical care can be risky. The CDC talks about the risks and how to minimize them.
Traveling Internationally for Medical Care:
Each year, millions of US residents travel to another country for medical care which is called medical tourism. Medical tourists from the United States most commonly travel to Mexico and Canada, and to several other countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
The reasons people may seek medical care in another country include:
Cost: To get a treatment or procedure that may be cheaper in another country
Culture: To receive care from a clinician who shares the traveler’s culture and language
Unavailable or unapproved procedures: To get a procedure or therapy that is not available or approved in the United States.
The most common procedures that people undergo on medical tourism trips include dental care, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatments, organ and tissue transplantation, and cancer treatment.
Medical Tourism Can Be Risky
The risk of complications depends on the destination, the facility where the procedure is being performed, and whether the traveler is in good health for the procedure(s). Other issues that can increase a traveler’s risk of complications include:
Infectious Diseases. All medical procedures have some risk of infection. Complications from procedures performed in other countries include wound infections, bloodstream infections, donor-derived infections (in the case of transplantations or transfusions), and diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.
Antimicrobial resistance. Highly drug-resistant bacteria and fungi have caused disease outbreaks among medical tourists. Antimicrobial resistance happens when germs develop the ability to not respond to drugs such as antibiotics used to treat infections. Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem. Healthcare facilities in another country may not have adequate infection control practices and medical tourists could be at risk for getting a drug-resistant infection.
Quality of Care. Some countries’ requirements for maintaining licensure, credentialing, and accreditation may also be less than what would be required in the United States. In some countries, counterfeit medicines and lower quality medical devices may be used.
Communication challenges. Communicating with staff at the destination and healthcare facility may be challenging. Receiving care at a facility where you do not speak the language fluently could lead to misunderstandings about your care.
Air Travel. Flying after surgery can increase the risk for blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis. Delaying air travel for 10-14 days following major surgeries, particularly those involving the chest, will minimize risks associated with changes in atmospheric pressure.
Continuity of Care. Travelers may need to get health care in the United States if they develop complications after returning. Follow-up care for complications might be expensive. Treatment might be prolonged and might not be covered by your health insurance.
But, nobody and I mean no body, ever flies to the U.K. for the healthcare tourism. The NHS has its own waiting list of over 7 million people waiting for care. I have never heard of anyone flying into Canada for health care – it is the other way around. Canadians come into the U.S. for healthcare.