Recently, there’s been a growing trend in Ireland where patients travel abroad for surgery. Cosmetic surgeries, bariatric surgery, and even dentistry are being performed overseas.
Many patients are choosing to go abroad for their cosmetic surgeries. Some of the most popular destinations include Turkey and Belgium.
Are you thinking about getting your bariatric or weight loss surgery in a foreign country? In that case, you’re probably wondering what the differences are between getting your work done here vs in another country.
Today we’re going to go into detail and compare weight loss surgery in Ireland to the clinics abroad to show you precisely what you can expect from each.
Why do people go abroad for their weight loss surgery?
Before we get into the differences between weight loss surgery abroad and in Ireland, we need to take a look at why people choose to go overseas.
The answer is pretty straightforward. It’s all down to the cost.
It’s no secret that most cosmetic surgical procedures cost half as much abroad.
Many people in Ireland can’t afford the price of cosmetic surgery here. So, they decide to get it done in a cheaper country.
For these people, it’s either choose to go abroad for the procedure or don’t have the surgery at all.
In most cases, the choice is obvious because they want the surgery to be happy and content with their body.
But is cosmetic surgery safe in these countries? What are the risks patients face when getting their procedures done abroad?
What’s the difference between getting weight loss surgery abroad and at home?
There are many opinions online that label a lot of clinics abroad as unsafe or unqualified, but this is never the case.
You’ll run into possible risks and complications no matter where you get your surgery. Most clinics will have safety standards in place to ensure their patients are cared for.
Now let’s look at the most common differences between surgery at home vs surgery abroad.
1. Location
This is probably one of the most noticeable differences when it comes to getting your surgery done abroad. You’ll be getting your procedure done outside of Ireland as opposed to within Ireland.
Now, this might sound like an adventure at first but travelling home after a procedure is not as exciting or comfortable as it might seem.
2. Language
Language can be a big issue when getting your surgery done abroad. In some cases, language barriers can cause difficulties for patients and medical professionals.
If you have concerns about your procedure, you might run into a roadblock when it comes to talking to your surgeon about your concerns. This won’t be an issue at home, of course, as you’ll speak the same language as your doctor.
3. Surgical equipment
Surgical equipment can be purchased for a low, economical price or at a very high cost. Both options can do the job, but they’ll perform differently.
So if you pay for a cheaper, more affordable surgery, the surgeons might be using more inexpensive surgical equipment. This equipment might not give the same level of care as in Ireland.
4. Risk of blood clots
Blood clots are a considerable risk when it comes to getting surgery done abroad. This has nothing to do with the clinic’s level of care but with travel.
Deep Vein Thrombosis or Pulmonary Embolisms, more commonly known as blood clots, can appear in your lungs or legs during air travel.
These blood clots are a general risk when flying and every year there are 3,000 cases of Deep Vein Thrombosis with approximately 300 related deaths.
When you add surgery into the mix along with a high BMI, you’ll be putting yourself at a higher risk of developing these blood clots, which can be life-threatening.
5. Post-operative complications
Complications can happen anywhere in the world but staying in contact with your surgeon to deal with these complications is key to a successful surgery.
If you travel abroad for your surgery and fly home a week later only to develop post-operative complications, then you’re going to be miles away from your surgeon.
Flying back to where the surgery was performed isn’t an option due to the complications. So, you’ll land yourself in A&E meeting high charges that could have been avoided if you’d had your surgery performed in Ireland in the first place.
This sounds like a rare occurrence, but unfortunately, this is an all-too-common scenario for A&E staff, and they experience it weekly.
6. Pre-operative assessment
For many patients, pre-operative assessment starts a couple of weeks before surgery. Further tests might also have to be done to ensure you’re suitable for the procedure.
If you’ve decided to go abroad for your surgery, then you’ll probably fly to another country only a couple of days before your procedure. So, these extra tests might not be able to be performed.
7. Aftercare
At Auralia, aftercare is an essential part of any cosmetic or bariatric surgery. It’s critical to have a good aftercare program to ensure that the patient makes a full recovery.
A hospital that provides the complete aftercare package will be a bit more expensive than one without. In a lot of cases, patients who go abroad for appointments might not have access to a good aftercare plan.
It’s common for patients to ring clinics when they get home looking to get aftercare or help with any issues. Unfortunately, most clinics won’t be able to help because they didn’t perform the surgery. They won’t know what was performed, the patients’ medical history, or what information they received before the surgery.
8. Insurance
Many clinics in Ireland provide their patients with insurance to cover any revisional surgery that’s required.
However, most overseas providers won’t offer any insurance, so if a patient runs into complications, they’ll have to pay for expensive private care to get them resolved.
So, what’s the best decision to make when it comes to getting bariatric surgery?
There’s no right or wrong answer. Every patient will have their reasons for choosing their surgical provider.
Our advice would always be to consider getting your bariatric surgery done in Ireland because:
- You know your home country
- There are no language barriers
- You’ll have access to aftercare
- There’s less risk
- You’ll be able to discuss all concerns with your doctor
- You’ll be able to see your doctor again if you run into any issues
Getting your bariatric surgery completed at home will cost you more, but it’ll also be the safer option in most cases.
Here at Auralia, we strive to provide all our patients with top bariatric care to ensure that they get the procedure that’s right for their needs.
If you’d like to talk about the weight loss procedures we offer at our clinic we’d love to answer any questions or concerns you might have.
Call us on 01 612 0551 or book in for a consultation today.
