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GoSculptura | Cosmetic Surgery in
Argentina | August 14, 2006
Medical Tourism - Can patients safely travel
abroad to achieve cosmetic surgery miracles on a budget?
Falling ill while abroad seems like the worst sort of traveling
nightmare. Yet, for growing numbers of travelers, the lure of combining
affordable medical care with attentive room service is a chief draw for
packing a suitcase and boarding a plane as part of a new craze. Medical
tourism, as the practice is known, is rapidly becoming the top choice
for consumers who grapple with hefty medical bills.
Medical tourists fly away because of long waiting times and overburdened
health-care systems, but the real attraction is often simply price.
Cosmetic surgery savings are impressive: A full facelift that would cost
over $15,000 in the U.S. runs about $2,995 in Argentina. Whenever
approved by their surgeons, many patients eagerly combine procedures for
even greater savings: combined full body liposuctions and tummy tucks
can be had for less than $6,995 in Argentina, 1/3 of what it costs in
the USA - and this includes weeks of deluxe holidays with private
pampering and relaxation activities!
While prices are clearly motivating patients, questions remain: how can
patients choose which overseas hospitals are best suited for their
specific procedures? How can they ensure that they will be perfectly
safe?
Indeed, some critics argue that surgeries in countries like Argentina or
South Africa cannot possibly be as good as the ones available in the
United States or Europe. Yet, the hospitals and clinics that cater to
international patients are among the best in the world, with many
staffed by physicians trained at major medical centers in the United
States and Europe.
Key for patients is to only have access to a network of pre-screened,
audited professionals and healthcare facilities. Reputable medical
tourism providers help in this endeavor as they perform professional
medical audits on the facilities, medical teams and surgeons before
including them in their partner network. These agencies also act as
middlemen between patients and surgeons to ensure that needs and
expectations are clearly defined even before the patient boards his/her
flights. They also orchestrate the entire medical tourism trip, schedule
surgeries, buy airline tickets, reserve hotel rooms, and, yes, even plan
exotic sightseeing tours or relaxing experiences for recovering
patients. Everything must go flawlessly as this is a word of mouth
business.
For example, Gosculptura, a medical tourism provider based in
Montreal, Canada sent its first patient overseas years ago and is now
sending dozens of patients, mostly for cosmetic surgery, to partner
hospitals and clinics in Argentina. The average length of stay is about
15 days according to John Walch, program manager for Gosculptura.
"We're now getting dozens of inquiries a week from referrals coming
from happy patients. Patients appreciate the apparent value they are
getting given the surgeons' credentials but also the ability to recover
privately in comfortable and exotic surroundings", says Walch.
Medical tourism is fast becoming an established alternative to
over-priced surgeries, lack of available local health services, and/or
long wait times. Already, tens of thousands of patients worldwide have
taken advantage of this new trend by safely going on life changing
journeys to fulfill their cosmetic surgery dreams.
To learn more about cosmetic surgery procedures in Argentina, visit
Gosculptura at: http://www.gosculptura.com/surgery/cosmetic/.
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