Guide to Preparing for a Medical Treatment Abroad

Whether you’re seeking to travel overseas for health services, fertility treatment, cosmetic surgery, hair transplants, dental treatment, or a weight loss surgery, deciding where to go can be difficult. Some variables must be enlisted to ensure that you seek out the best clinic and doctor for your specific needs.

Health tourism can be complicated since there are lots of private companies offering all kinds of services in different destinations. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of things to consider before deciding where to seek treatment.

1. Quality of Healthcare

The best way to start this subject is by defining what “quality” means in regards to medical healthcare and why it’s important when travelling overseas for a treatment. Let’s keep in mind that health standards and medical practises in some countries may differ from those in your own nation, which may result in lower quality medical health care. As a result, it’s critical that you select a destination that provides treatment of equal or higher quality than what you can get locally.

Fortunately, costs and quality may not always be at the same sides of the coin, in that sense; high-quality treatment may be available at a much lower cost somewhere else in the world. If treatment costs are too expensive in your home country, you can always find affordable procedures abroad without sacrificing the quality. To get a conceptual idea, make sure to do a comparative research on any reviews, complaints, comments, reports, and evaluations you can find about the health facility you’re thinking about going to.

To know the quality of a clinic the first step you must take is informing yourself about its certifications. Hospitals with the following accreditations guarantee that you will be receiving high-quality medical health care:

• The Joint Commission International (JCI):  It is a non-profit organisation which has the authorisation to assess health care places’ adherence to global standards. In other words, it represents the global health care standard in providing high – quality care, with accredited hospitals boasting cutting-edge technology and top-tier physicians. It promotes stringent care standards and offers solutions for achieving peak performance.
• American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF): This facility was founded in 1980 with the goal of creating a license program to standardise and improve the quality of medical and surgical care in emergency procedure rooms.
• ISO 9001: A recent study shows that ISO is the most widely recognized quality management system in the world. It ensures that a hospital ensures a high level of service in order to meet their customers’ expectations and demands.

Global Medical Care collaborates with the world’s best internationally accredited hospitals. A patient is not exposed to the regional standards when they work with us but rather European healthcare standards. We promise specialties such as an insurance contract to our customers. In order to do this our experts have reviewed over 200 clinics to pick the right countries and destinations.

2. Language

If you choose to be treated at a place that is unfamiliar with dealing with patients from different countries, it’s common that communication will be a problem. Upon choosing a clinic in a foreign country where the doctors do not speak your native-tongue, there is a greater chance of misunderstandings about the procedure and care. The clinics with which we collaborate have extensive experience dealing with inbound patients, as well as English and French-speaking well trained doctors, staff, translators, and high customer satisfaction ratings.

3. Inform yourself about the Treatment

It is critical that you study well and are confident that you understand what the medical procedure entails. Most people and tourists choose to read up on travel and medical planning online. You can talk to one of our Personal Medical Consultants if you have any questions regarding our systems or the specialty we ensure in the offered treatment; or to your GP if you have any specific questions about eligibility. You may also be able to schedule an online consultation with one of the team members who will be treating you overseas before you travel there.

When picking a medical health care centre, don’t just go with the cheapest offer. It’s a good idea to choose the medical centres that have surgeons who are highly specialised and have a good reputation for performing the operations you’re interested in.

4. What’s your Medical History

Get copies of your medical records if possible; you are also entitled to copies of medical letters written about you by your GP. Make sure you have all of the information you need about your medical history, and give completely honest, detailed answers to the questions on the form so that you can be handled effectively when you arrive. You should also include any allergies you have as well as any medications you are taking, including vitamins and supplements.

5. Consult with Your Local Healthcare Provider

Making a decision can bring challenges so, ask family and friends or consult your GP, dentist, or clinician can provide you with an invaluable second opinion on the route you can take. They can also advise you on treatment options and whether they are necessary or appropriate for you. Take advantage of this opportunity to find out if you need any vaccinations 4 to 6 weeks before the trips.

Make a list of your most pressing questions prior to your travel, and don’t be afraid of seeking clarification if you don’t understand something.