Gastric Band Abroad
With an increasing number of obese people in Britain many are choosing to have gastric band weight loss surgery. Due to the long waiting lists and stringent criteria to have the operation on the NHS many are choosing to have the operation abroad. With some celebrities also choosing to have the operation abroad this number is rising. Below are some of the most popular countries in which the operation is performed.
Belgium
Made famous by Anne Diamond and Vanessa Feltz, Belgium is one of the main places the British public choose to go for a gastric band operation. One company ‘European Obesity Care’ arranges for patients to have their consultation in London, before having the operation in Belgium just four weeks later.
Belgian hospitals they claim have one of the highest success rates in the world. Many Belgian hospitals have a long history of performing obesity treatments. Belgium is also well known for its excellent laparoscopic operation techniques. The price for laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery is just over £4000 and this includes a three night stay in hospital. This is just slightly cheaper in the UK although the hospital stay is two days longer. The company also claim that they will arrange all of the travel for the patient and their close family.
Turkey
Turkey is another popular country for weight loss surgery with most of the private clinic’s offering to arrange travel for the patient. Flights, hotels and airport transfers are all arranged beforehand so the patient does not need to worry about anything. One company ‘International Medical Treatment’ claim that they have the best world wide obesity surgeons and fantastic clinics and hospitals. They also offer a medical travel package which is the option to have further plastic surgery at cheaper prices.
The cost of a laparoscopic gastric band in Turkey is around £4900, which is not much cheaper than in the UK. Add the cost of flights on to that and you are looking at around the price you would pay privately back home. Although Turkey claims to have the best surgeon’s world wide, patients are required to travel back to the country for any outpatient service’s such as filling the band.
Spain
Another popular country to go for obesity treatment is Spain. Many British people feel safe in Spain, and are comforted by the fact that almost all hospital staff speak English to a good level. Spain prides itself on high quality clinics and favourable prices which are encouraging huge numbers of British people to travel there for treatment each year.
There is a large expat population in Spain, and cheap flights daily from the United Kingdom, make Spain a top choice for weight loss surgery. One company ‘Mills and Mills’ based on the Costa del Sol, offer free consultations and aftercare which are available in the UK. The cost of a laparoscopic gastric band operation is lower than in the UK they claim, though they ask patients to contact them for a consultation.
