The Great 'Medical Tourism' Hunt

mandy_44 wrote: »

I guess you and I are alike, the first thing I noticed were the posts from new people or people that have only written that one post. Worried these are adverts and not genuine!!

Yea but thinking I might have been a bit cynical to start with.
There have been posts on this thread from people who do have affiliations with dental practices which they have admitted to. And I've had 3 PM's from people giving me their phone number to give them a call - they may be genuine, might give them a call next week.

But someone else posted on this thread about people joining the forum after recieving the newsletter. I imagine there's a lot of people who are on the weekly MSE newsletter email who have never bothered to join the forums before and post, which may well explain the newbies with reccomendations to make.

Wondering Toothsmith if your a little concerend about people getting quotations from you for major dental work establishing what needs doing and then going abroad to get the work done?
A bit like travel agents being in uproar a while ago about customers walking in working out where and which resort they wanted to go on holiday and then going to the internet to get the cheapest price.
If you are I wouldn't blame you for being annoyed.

Actually thinking of doing this myself got a dental appointment this week. So going to get him to reccomend a colleague for some implants etc. Thinking I'll just establish exactly what can be / needs to bo done and then go abroad. Unless of course he really sells himself to me - because I do take some of your concerns on board.

Does any one have experience of this type of work abroad and if so how was it and approx cost etc.

Cheers.

Where do I start? I edited a video about 4 months ago documenting a year of dental treatment in hungary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKbXnO4GUxc

It's not perfect but if you watch the video you will see that the reason why I went over in the first place was not just for economical sense but also because I fear dentists over here in the UK. It was because of my dentist in London that I needed an implant in the first place. If i had gone with the NHS it would have cost me £1800 just for the implant. I paid 1000 euros all in. the equipment they use out there is superior and things like x rays and fillings have all been free. I've only had to pay for flights, the lump sum and hotel. Not all cosmetic treatment is a luxury. I work as an actor and can't do with a huge gaping whole in the front of my smile.

My dental work was good but I got an infection before they fitted my permanent crown. By that time they had opened a clinic in Harley Street, so we started the implant process again all in London as part of my 10 year guarantee (inc with any implant work). I have not paid anything more in fees apart from that one off fee (1000 euros). I was just there today getting my impressions made for my crown to go on my implant. I have had 2nd and 3rd opinions from dentists in Sydney and the UK and they like the work they have seen so far. I went with dentistabroad.co.uk. the only thing I don't like is when they all talk in a foreign language in front of you so you have no idea what they are talking about. Apart from that it's fine.

I was confident of treatment abroad before my dental work. I used to live in Frankfurt and all medical care there is private. All doctors there are also specialists in their field which I now prefer. For instance you would see a dermatologist for your skin problems and a Urologist for your peeing problems. I have tried getting my GP to refer me to a dermatologist here but they will not budge. I therefore routinely go abroad for checkups and treatment. I find myself self medicating through my GP (telling my GP what I should have) rather than being tested and treated properly.

My dermatologist in Frankfurt is Dr Pomer (French who also speaks fluent English and German) who charges about 50 euros for a consultation. the phone number is 069 297 9876 and the address is Rathenau Platz 2-8. Unfortunately the Germans don't really bother with their websites! My Urologist charges about 200 euros for an initial checkup and then about 50 euros after that - it is VERY thorough! I have a special diet prescribed to me to give you an idea. anyway his name is Dr Dunzendorfer and his details are 069 2980140, Zeil 65-69.

My girlfriend is From Sydney and I have also worked there and the health service out there is far superior to the UK. The great thing about the nhs is that it's pretty much free. On the other hand it's totally rubbish. My sister lives in thailand and had her baby in a private hospital. She bought a package for about £200 and that was basically a 2 week pre and post pamper & delivery package. The hospital is state of the art and £200 is a lot of money over there so it does create a 2 tier system in their healthcare service. don't forget that some of that money does filter down to clinics which provide free treatment to the people who can't afford it though. It also means that doctors are not tempted to just work abroad in countries like England which totally neglects care in their own country. It is probably the best compromise socially in this world for now...

You have to think like a moneysaver to understand this.

Q How big is the National Health Service in Britain/England's health market?
A It has a HUGE demand, because the service it provides is massively subsidised.

Q Does the NHS specify top of the range products or does it provide something that is a standardised minimum adequate product bought at a knock down price because of its massive purchasing power?
A. You can answer that for yourself.

Q. Name a European country famous for providing millions of units of a small digital product?
A. That is a trick question, I'll come back to it.

Q If you were the Government of that country, would you try to promote the economic well being of the firm(s) that made you a world leading country in a particular industry? Perhaps by encouraging Government expenditure to go towards the home grown firm.
A Yes.

Q. Is Britain/England a leading producer of digital hearing aids?
A. I don't think so.

The digital product and country I had in mind is Nokia mobile phones and Finland. However Denmark is in a similar situation when it comes to Digital Hearing aids.

Here in the UK the majority of the population get a minimum adequate aid via the NHS; those that want something a bit better and more expensive get ripped off, partly because they are so few and sold to by foreign suppliers.

The Danish market is almost certainly gets steered towards a better home grown product. For someone fitting hearing aids in Denmark, taking on a marginal extra number of cash buyers from the UK, attracted by a discount, is a profitable proposition.

Try this web site:

http://www.hca.dk/engelsk/indexen.htm

[A relative of mine finally accepted that his hearing was failing, so he answered an ad in a magazine. I'm sure he got a nice receptionist and potted palms in the reception BUT what did the salesman know about fitting aids and motivating pensioners to use them, as against cashing his commission cheque?
What I do know is that he could have got the same kit in Denmark for half the 4 figure sum he paid for it on the South coast of England].

It would be interesting to hear chapter & verse from someone who has used this service.

Harry.