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Surgery in Kerala India

A few years ago while visiting relatives in Kerala, India, I was involved in an accident and suffered complete fractures of my tibia and fibula of my right leg. I was taken to a nearby hospital and after x-rays were taken I was told that I needed open reduction and internal fixation of the fractures. I was in incredible pain and on heavy doses of pain-killers -- it all seemed like a nightmare.

But I knew that there was no way for me to get back home in my condition so I agreed to have the surgery done there. I don't remember much from the hours preceding the surgery, but after I came to a few hours afterwards in my room, I was greeted by my father who had flown all the way from New York to help me. He too had wanted me to somehow return to the U.S. for the procedure, but he'd arrived while I was already in the O.R. I was given a very nice, clean room and they even provided a rollout bed for my father to stay with me. Everyone went out of their way to help us and to make us feel comfortable in this "foreign" environment.

I was up and walking with crutches the next day, and three days later I was on my way back home. About a month later I followed up with an orthopedic surgeon on Staten Island to have my cast changed. I think we all expected to see a shoddy job underneath my cast but we were all surprised to see that the incisions were barely noticeable, everything had healed nicely, and the follow-up x-rays showed near perfect alignment. The kicker was when I told the doctor how much we'd paid -- $2,000. He was flabbergasted and joked that he'd go to Kerala the next time he broke a bone!

-- Submitted by: jubinmd

Heart Surgery in India

"I have just returned from India after a heart operation. The Medical Tourist Company recommended a specialist hospital in Mumbai and not only did they make all the arrangements for me, arranged visas, a car to collect me from the airport, but they also put me in touch with the surgeon who would perform the operation and sent me his full CV. I even spoke to the surgeon before leaving. Everything went exactly as arranged. The hospital was fantastic, like a 5 star hotel with service to match, the staff and doctors second to none. Operation over, the hospital and The Medical Tourist Company arranged a short holiday to Goa for me and my partner and kept in contact all the time. I never felt alone through all this and feel very lucky to have found the Medical Tourist Company. They even sent representatives to visit each day. My total bill was about a quarter of the UK projected cost. I heartily (forgive the pun) recommend the Medical Tourist Company and welcome any questions from prospective medical tourists." Also read about my experience on BBC news.

-- Mike Cook




Argentina is Beautiful

When I first considered using Plenitas for dental implants I naturally had some reservations. I knew nothing about their company, they were located in a country that I had never visited, and I did not speak the language. However, after checking the references that they gave me, I made the decision to go. I am so glad that I did. The dental treatment and facilities are of the highest quality and employ the latest technology. The personal care and service that I received from Plenitas made me feel completely assured and at home. And what a wonderful city Buenos Aires is!

-- Louis William Rose Jacksonville, Florida




Dental Work and a Heart Emergency

One of the unlikely side benefits of staying at Connect Guesthouse is the good relations they enjoy with the local private hospital. Ferdia O'Dowd, a regular guest from Dublin, Ireland tells his story:

"I went to the Bangkok Phuket Hospital on Tuesday last week for dental work. When I was leaving -- with two teeth perfectly restored -- members of the hospital's international department persuaded me to take part in their "Senior Executive Health Check Programme" which is at 50 per cent discount in off-season. I said yes and agreed to come back fasting next morning ie Wednesday. All went swimmingly well until I got to the stress test "rolling road" machine where they wire you up to the electrocardiograph. After a few minutes, the technician noticed an anomaly and very shortly a cardiologist appeared and explained to me that the trace showed strong evidence of a heart problem

-- of which I knew nothing.

"The director of the heart department then showed up, the two had a short chat in Thai and told me that they wanted to admit me to hospital there and then. Three hours later I was in theatre watching on TV monitor as a tube blew dye into my heart! After this was over, the senior guy came (complete with his own hand-drawn sketch) and showed me that one of the lower arteries had serious disease and that they proposed treatment for the following day, using a balloon to blow artery out to normal size and then inserting a metal "stent" to keep the artery open permanently. I agreed.

"Thursday around midday I went down to the catheter room and watched the whole thing again on the monitors as the work was performed. Must admit I closed my eyes once or twice! Spent Thursday night in the intensive care unit and was let out on Friday at 5.00 pm with a sackful of various pills to lower blood pressure and control high cholesterol. Said artery had been 80 per cent blocked, so I, quite unknowingly, had been facing a serious heart attack in the near future! I had not felt that bad -- although had been feeling tired and not sleeping very well last six months. This I assumed was due to rushing around, overseas trips and moving residence. Any discomfort that I had had was put down to indigestion problem for which I had been examined and treated a few years ago.

"Now I feel as if my whole body is lighter and running better, much like a car that has been in for a full service and had dirty plugs changed! Somebody somewhere has been saying a prayer for me. I had walked -- by chance, almost -- into one of the best private hospitals in Southeast Asia and one of only two in Thailand outside Bangkok with a heart department capable of doing this very high tech work (they also perform open heart surgery) If you, like me, are a middle aged man and have not had a full physical check-up for some years (if ever), consider taking the opportunity. Its better to have the problem caught in time than try to recover from a heart attack -- if you recover!

Dental Care in Phucket

When I visited the Phuket Dental Center in June, 2002, I hoped that they would make my teeth like new. The truth is, they make them better than new! It was so easy to make the appointment over the internet from my home in Vienna and I'm more than satisfied with the work, which didn't hurt (pain or price!). I'll come again and tell my friends to do the same. Thanks! Rudolf Smoltschnik
Informative Video Testimonial of Author Jeff Schult's Experiences

Video Testimonial

Submitted by: admin




Surgery in Frankfurt, Germany

About a year ago I became extremely ill on a transcontinental flight back to the United States. I was so ill in fact, that I was not allowed to continue my journey from my layover in Frankfurt, Germany and I was taken by ambulance to the nearby medical center. I was very sick and I was terrified of having anything done to me in a foreign country - I desperately wanted to somehow travel back to the United States to be admitted to a hospital there... the only place in which I had confidence in the medical system and its doctors.

But given the severity of my condition I had no choice - I was admitted to the German hospital. There I was given a private room and since they knew I was a foreigner I was treated with special consideration. I was surprised to see that all of the doctors spoke impeccable English. They were all very kind, compassionate, and empathetic to my situation. Even the nursing staff spoke some English and they too were very personable. A few days after my admission my condition had not improved, and it was decided that I needed to go to the operating room for corrective surgery. I was frightened and reluctant but I had no alternative, so I consented to the surgery.

The surgery was a complete success and I returned to my room. For the next ten days I met with the doctors, nurses, and therapists daily as they took care of me and monitored my recovery closely. I was up and walking within a few days and I continued to build strong rapport with the medical staff there. I am both pleased and grateful to report that after about two weeks at Stadische Klinken Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany I was well enough to return to my home in the United States, where I continued on my path to a full recovery.

The biggest surprise came about a month after I had returned to the U.S. when my hospital bill arrived. I had been hospitalized for the same malady and had the same surgery a few years prior in Houston, Texas. There my bill was close to $40,000, of which my medical insurance company only paid a portion. I felt I had received superior care with a better outcome this time in Frankfurt, yet my bill came to only $10,000 -- an amount that was fully funded by my insurance carrier! I look back at my experience in Germany in a very positive light - I have had numerous hospital admissions and surgeries in the United States in the past, and it surprised me that my stay at Stadische Klinken Hospital in Frankfurt was a much more pleasant one than I had ever experienced in the U.S.

Before this experience I had had many preconceived notions about medical care in other parts of the world -- that it was somehow inferior to that in the United States - and I was admittedly somewhat xenophobic when it came to foreign healthcare practitioners. But due to circumstances beyond my control I was given the opportunity to experience the workings of the healthcare system in a country outside of my own, and I must say it far exceeded my expectations. In my case, I am very happy and grateful to say that I received the best of care available at the most reasonable cost - in a place where I never would have expected it. I extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Stelter, Dr. Rohanyi, and the rest of the staff at Stadische Klinken Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany for taking such good care of me.

-- Submitted by: Apache