Mr. T is an Australian Indian, working in a senior position with a global consulting company in Sydney. He has 2 front chipped tooth. This was the result of a playground incident early in his childhood. These had been treated then and made “dead”. Though not a health risk, these always remained in his mind and wished to have them fixed for aesthetic reason. However, with the conflicting demands on time and money, this always took the back seat. Considering that he had the best private health insurance, he thought it should not be a big deal and he should not have to pay a lot of out of pocket expenses. However, he was in for a surprise when he visited the Dental Centre of a leading private health insurer. The “obligation free” quote came out to be with out of pocket expenses of $6,500 for 3 root canals and crowns. In addition, these would have required a number of appointments that would have been a hassle with his busy lifestyle. While contemplating how to manage this financially and logistically, a thought crossed his mind – with this much money, he could easily take his family of three back home to India, receive treatment from a reputable doctor and also spend some quality time with his immediate and extended family. The only sticky issue was finding a reputable dentist, so that he would not have to go back in case anything went wrong. It was not easy to find one, as these dentists don’t really advertise themselves on internet nor have websites. That’s where knowing somebody in the local (Indian) medical practice would have been very helpful, so that you could get personal recommendation. That’s where MyMedicalChoices helped Mr. T in getting in touch with a world class dental surgeon in his home city – Delhi. This is a true story.

This scenario is being repeated every day for hundreds of people who are frustrated with the high medicals costs in Australia. In fact, it is not only costs, but also the long waiting times for elective surgeries and shocking reports of judgment errors and negligence in the local hospitals. Till recently, Australians did not have much choice. However, we are seeing increasing number of people opting for non-life threatening surgeries overseas. According to a recent report by the Singapore-based travel supplier Abacus International, Asia's medical-tourism industry is expected to generate more than $4.4 billion dollars by 2012. These tourists are usually surprised to find brand new facilities and equipment in these hospitals, supported by excellent service.

Which Treatment Are Most Suitable for Overseas?A growing number of Australians are setting out for India, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore for everything from dental work to breast implants to major heart surgery. Australian health insurer, Medibank Private, says open-heart surgery can cost up to $180,000 in Australia; in India's best hospitals it could cost between $3000 and $10,000. Dental, eye and cosmetic surgeries in Western countries cost three to four times as much as in India (Source: Theage.com.au). The table below provides you a representative list of the procedures that are worth considering for overseas treatment and the indicative treatment savings in Australia and in India.

Dental surgery is typically the biggest saver with overseas treatment; 60%-80% savings across the board are standard in India with excellent facilities. However, elective procedures such as joint replacement (hip joint replacement/knee replacement), cosmetic surgery is not far behind, with savings in the range of 50%-70%. The general rule of thumb is that the real money savings are realised with surgeries costing around $10,000 and more locally in Australia. These savings that you receive in the treatment costs can easily offset the air tickets, tours or in case of major surgeries; and in many cased can even pay for the entire family’s trip overseas.

The Challenge - Finding the right hospital or doctorFinding the right hospital or doctor is often the biggest stumbling block for those planning to receive treatments overseas. This can be complicated if you make the plans yourself or can be simple using the services of a healthcare facilitator, though with a fees for their planning services. Healthcare facilitators can take care of all the aspects for your trip such as hospital/ doctor selection, arranging appointments to suit your schedule, air tickets, visa, airport pick-ups, local ground transport, hotel bookings and tour packages. Most of the healthcare facilitators like MyMedicalChoices work with multiple hospitals. The additional advantage is that they work for YOU, keep YOUR interest in mind and will get in touch with hospitals and doctors that best works for YOU and YOUR NEEDS.

Afterthought – Will there be compromise on quality?It is natural to assume that if something is cheaper then it must be of lower quality. The reality is exactly opposite. Many of the reputed hospitals in India are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), which certifies - through painstaking periodic inspections that procedures and practices meet demanding standards. JCI is the sister organisation of Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the U.S. hospitals certifying body and is similar to Australian Council for Healthcare Standards International (ACHSI) or similar kind of standards in Europe Canada in health care. Additionally, many have management and staff training tie-ups with leading U.S. medical organisations such as Johns Hopkins and Harvard Medical International. These hospitals employ hundreds of highly-trained and specialised surgeons with impeccable credentials. Many either trained or previously worked in the U.S., Europe or Australia; many are U.S.-certified; and the vast majority speaks English fluently. Additionally, these hospitals boast state-of-the-art medical equipment and diagnostics. With some support from a good healthcare facilitator, you can generally get a doctor who is the country’s best in the field. Rest assured, there is no compromise on quality – just savings, to pay for your trip overseas!!