Sonny Guerrini, 20, had developed an Ewing’s sarcoma tumor near his spinal cord. Because of the location of the tumor, conventional radiotherapy had the danger of wreaking undesirable side effects. Hence, Sonny chose to go for CyberKnife cancer treatment in Turkey which has several major advantages over traditional radiation therapies like Gamma Knife. Medical Tourism Corporation facilitated Sonny’s CyberKnife treatment in Turkey at a very low cost.

For instance, CyberKnife can treat lesions even in areas of the body that move with respiration (like in the case of lung cancer), thanks to advanced image guidance. Also, CyberKnife does not require a head frame screwed into the skull for immobilization, avoiding the pain, headache, nausea, and risk of infection seen sometimes with stereotactic frames like Gamma Knife.

CyberKnife also effectively treats those tumors that were previously thought inoperable, like brain tumors. Other types of cancers that can be treated with CyberKnife are liver, prostate, kidney, liver, neck, spine, lung, and pancreatic cancer.

Sonny, a student at the University of Brisbane, had to go abroad for cancer treatment because Australia doesn’t have a CyberKnife center. Medical Tourism Corporation arranged Sonny’s medical trip to Turkey and took care of his needs at each step. Everything was planned in detail well in advance and Sonny and his family are extremely satisfied with the professionalism of Medical Tourism Corporation and the quality of medical care at Anadolu Medical Center in Turkey.

The cost of CyberKnife treatment in the US can be anywhere between $50,000-$100,000. But Turkey provides very low cost CyberKnife cancer treatment at prices well below $20,000. The quality of the treatment is the same as in the US for the simple reason that the machine used to deliver the treatment is the same. Also, Turkey has very well-qualified and experienced oncologists who speak English fluently. Hence, there is no fear of the low cost of cancer treatment compromising on the quality.

Belgium is a very popular medical tourism destination with medical tourists in the Western world, especially for those from the UK. The laparoscopic gastric band surgery or ‘lap band’, in short, done in Belgium is the one of the best options, any which way you look at it.

What is laparoscopic gastric band surgery?
The laparoscopic gastric band surgery or lap band, in short, decreases the size of the stomach pouch. This makes people feel full after they have had just a small meal, and thus helps in losing weight.

Why get the lap band done in Belgium?

• Cost: If you are from the UK, lap band surgery in Belgium is the way to go. While the procedure may cost anywhere between £ 9,000 – £ 12,000 in the UK, in Belgium the cost can drop to £ 4,000. This low cost of the surgery does not mean that quality of healthcare is compromised in any way.

• Quality: Obesity surgery is carried out in many countries in the world. However, there are few countries with the same experience and success rate in obesity surgery as Belgium. Many Belgian hospitals have a very long tradition of surgical experience in obesity surgery and treatments. Laparoscopy, in fact, is one of the specialties of Belgium medical tourism. Every Gastric Band or Gastric Bypass is done by laparoscopy (unless technically impossible) and this means a very short stay in hospital.

Also, in general, Belgium has always been known for its high hygiene standards and use of latest technology. In a recent study by The World Markets Research Centre, Belgium ranked top for medical purposes out of 175 countries, not least because secondary infection rates average less than 0.5% compared with around 10% in the UK.

The high level of Belgium’s surgical expertise comes from many years of training imparted to its doctors: all doctors are trained for a minimum of seven years and specialists for 12 years.

• Follow-up care: Many Belgium doctors have a follow-up network in neighboring countries like UK and Ireland. Hence, do check if your doctor or hospital offers such a service.

• No queues: Forget the long waiting lines of NHS. For a weight loss surgery in Belgium, you choose the date for the operation after all initial screenings, and get yourself banded. As simple as that.

• Proximity to UK: You can choose to go to Belgium by air, road or rail. There is the fast and convenient Eurostar train service from London (all tickets from London allow you free onward travel within Belgium) and an easy-to-navigate public transport network in Belgium. Major European highways like the E-19, E-17, E-40, E-411 and E-313 pass through Belgium. You can also get to Belgium from all over Europe on Eurolines coaches.

• Climate and language: The climate is similar to UK’s, with slightly hotter summers and colder winters. The official languages spoken are Dutch, French, and German, but many people speak English, too.

All in all,  getting gastric lap band surgery in Belgium is a good option for someone looking for a high quality and affordable weight loss procedure in Europe.

Related link:

Lap band in Mexico

Medical Tourism Corporation team visited Hospital Angeles in Tijuana, Mexico. This hospital is part of the largest private hospital chain in Mexico. Procedures offered to medical tourists at this Mexican hospital are Gall bladder Removal, Inguinal Hernial, Umbilical Hernia, Incisional Hernia, Lap Band Inamed, Lap Band J&J, Gastric Sleeve, Gastric Bypass, Arthoscophy, Arthoscophy (Outpatient), Knee Replacement, Hip Replacement and Hip Resurfacing.

Video of Hospital Angeles, Tijuana

Pictures of Hospital Angeles, Tijuana

It took us less than 25 minutes to drive from the San Diego airport to the hospital. Hospital Angeles, Tijuana, is a world-class hospital designed especially to provide state-of-the-art medical care to international patients. The hospital boasts one of the best doctors in its field, supported by an able staff and latest medical technology equipment. Hundreds of people visit Hospital Angeles in Tijuana for Lap Band , gastric bypass & gastric sleeve weight loss surgery.

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The 118-bed hospital has 97 private rooms and is located in an upscale area. It is the first fully integrated hospital in Baja California, meaning it offers complete medical services in-house (outpatient clinic, emergency room, pharmacy, intensive care unit, intermediate ICU, neonatal ICU, intermediate neonatal ICU, X-ray, tomography, MRI, nuclear medicine, fluoroscopy, angiography, fully-equipped laboratory, helicopter landing zone, and medical offices where 135 board-certified doctors practice). More than 50% of the current patients there are from United States.

The hospital is self-contained with its own cafeteria, a pharmacy, ATM, chapel and more, thus providing you everything that you may need during your stay. This is also a major reason why it’s such a popular medical tourism destination in Mexico.

And if you crave for good old American fast food, McDonald’s & Peter Piper Pizza are walking distance from the hospital. And then there is a Cine Mark across the Hospital, too. Not sure if it shows any English movies, though! For people missing a discount club shopping, Sam’s club is around the corner!

Hotel Marriott and a few luxury Mexican Hotels are close by. These are used rarely by the hospital patients, as the patient and one accompanying guest are accommodated in the hospital.

The hallways, waiting rooms, corridor and patient rooms and suites are kept sparking clean and give an impression of a five-star hotel and not a hospital. The walls are decorated with brightly colored abstract art by Tijuana painters. A lot of work, thought and attention to detail have gone in the interior design to make the aura uplifting and the hospital patient-friendly.

The signs are in English and Spanish; many of the staff speak English. For US patients, a dedicated English-speaking staff member is assigned.

The hospital takes special care of its doctors to ensure they are relaxed and are at their best when serving the patients. There is an exclusive hospital club area for doctors that includes a relaxing lounge, exercise gym, jacuzzi, swimming pool, sauna and more.

Medical Tourism Corporation facilitates medical trips to some of the world’s leading hospitals including Hospital Angeles, Tijuana.

This article covers some of the key things to keep in mind when selecting a clinic or a hospital at an international destination or if required en route. It also educates you on what a medical tourism company can and cannot do to assist someone on a lookout for affordable medical treatment abroad.

Why you may need medical care abroad?

• If there is an emergency when overseas;
• If you need any follow-up care for an existing condition;
• If you need regular checkups like annual checkups or periodic dental checkups and cleanings (especially in case of long stay overseas);
• Or it could be that the primary purpose of your trip to a foreign country is for a medical treatment or surgery (Medical Tourism). In either of the cases, it’s important to have good knowledge of and a plan for handling any international medical needs.

Before your trip, it’s a good idea to have medical travel insurance. Check if your existing health insurance plan covers your overseas trip and stay. Otherwise, buying a good travel and health insurance plan is recommended. Know the insurance terms and conditions in detail. Good international travel insurance will have an added benefit of covering travel interruptions and delays, lost baggage and travel documents. There are cheap international travel insurance plans that cover the important things and at the same time are not expensive.

From your insurance company, get a list of overseas hospitals that are covered in the trip that you are planning to make. A good insurance should provide wide options for you to choose from.

For some of you who are from a country that has socialist medicine (like Canada or UK) or from a country where employer-provided health insurance is popular (like USA), you may not be used to paying directly in advance to the doctor or the hospital.

But, in many international countries you have to pay before you are treated. Even if you have insurance coverage and that hospital is in your insurance network coverage, you may be required to pay in advance the full estimate charge. The insurance will reimburse you afterwards. Find out from the hospital and the health insurance provider about the procedure in your specific case. Carrying a recognized credit card in such cases can be handy. Also, confirm with the hospital in advance if they accept the credit card or some other means of payment is acceptable.

Below are ten important points to consider when deciding on a Medical Tourism Hospital:

1. The first thing to keep in mind about selecting an overseas hospital is the recognized international accreditations and certifications the hospital has. An excellent choice would be a JCI (Joint Commission International)-accredited hospital. JCI is a not-for-profit organization that accredits hospitals worldwide based on their quality and safety of patient care. A hospital has to go through rigorous quality compliance and audits to get the accreditation. Other certifications like ISO 9000 are also a good indicator of the high quality of the care at the overseas hospital. Affiliation of the hospital to other prestigious medical institutes (like Harvard Medical, John Hopkins) is another indicator that the hospital could be a good choice.

2. Make sure the doctors in the hospital are board certified, either in their own country or some country reputed in medical care. If you plan to include medical care (treatment or checkup) as part of your trip, you can always request in advance the resume of the doctors that will treat you.

3. Select a fully integrated hospital over a clinic where possible. A clinic usually has a limited service or caters to a particular medical specialty. An integrated hospital is one that has everything (all major specialties) and medical facilities like ICU, blood bank, ER, MRI, X-Ray, pathology, laboratory, pharmacy, doctors’ offices and more at the same place. There are many advantages to this. To name a few:

- Integrated hospitals usually have higher quality and physicians are experienced;

- You can avoid trips to multiple medical facilities in a foreign land;

- In case of an emergency you have everything available at one place thus saving you critical time;

- You deal with one entity and not many;

- Big hospitals are very concerned about their reputation with foreigners. Hence, you will receive special treatment;

- If the hospital has an International patients’ department, a concierge service, cafeteria and accommodation for a patient and accompanying guest, it is even better.

4. Fourth, does the hospital staff understand your language? It’s important that either the staff know your language or that they at least have an international patient department that addresses this communication issue. Clear and quick communication of your requirement to the physician and similarly the physician’s message to you is important. Additionally, the physician should be able to understand the written language to review your medical records from the home country. If you are going on a planned medical trip overseas, talking to the physician in advance will help address these concerns.

5. What is the reputation of the hospital among the people there? A good hospital will have a good name locally. If possible, ask your international contacts for hospital references.

In case of a pre-existing condition that needs specialist checkup, tests or monitoring, it’s important for you to make sure in advance that your international specialist is well qualified and is aware of your case. It is quite customary for international doctors to talk to each other about a patient over phone. You could even arrange a teleconference between the three of you. Your local doctor could help you choose the right international follow-up care for you. The international physician should also be willing to work with your local physician in terms of communication and medical records transfer. This is for your care once you are back home. Hospitals that have dealt with international patients in the past should be able to address this area easily. Also, physicians working at such facilities are more acquainted with international patient care.

6. There are some hospital quality indicators that you can request a hospital for. These can be compared to the benchmarks in your country or any country where medical care quality is high. Some of common ones are: mortality rate, Staph (Staphylococcus) infection rate, and nurse to patient ratio. In some countries the trend is for hospitals to publish this data on the web, but in some countries you have to ask the hospital for the numbers, and in some it is not available at all. But quality indicators are usually not available for new hospitals. This is due to the fact that not enough data (patients treated) has been accumulated to give a statistically accurate number.

Many people from the West are surprised at the low cost of treatment in overseas hospitals. Places like India, Mexico, Costa Rica and Thailand can save you about 60-90% of the costs that you would incur in the USA. These low prices are sometimes in spite of the fact that many overseas physicians are more experienced and trained than their counterparts in the West. The low cost is due to a number of factors, namely: less bureaucratic medical administration, lower salary expenditures, less litigious laws, and more efficient management.

7. When looking for hospital or a clinic overseas one should be careful not to look for the lowest price in that area or country. Usually, the lowest price in a place equates to low quality. The clinic or hospital could be offering the lowest prices either because they do not have much business or because the quality of the infrastructure or staff is compromised.

8. Another factor to consider is the distance between the healthcare center and the place where you will be staying at the international location. Many popular tourist destinations don’t have good transport infrastructure. The distance may not be much, but due to lack of infrastructure it might take a long time and be a tiring trip. Keep this in mind when deciding on a hospital.

9. What is the attitude of local people towards foreign tourists, especially those related to Medical Tourism? Making a medical trip to a city or country that may not have a welcoming attitude towards foreigners should be avoided as there is a good choice of medical tourist-friendly locations.

10. Current patient experience. These can be in the form of patient satisfaction surveys or even patient testimonials. This information can be requested from the hospital or a medical tourism company might have it available.

Examples of hospitals that meet the above discussed criteria are Hospital Clinica Biblica in Costa Rica, Hospital Angeles in Mexico and Hospital Wockhardt in India.

If you are planning the trip for a medical necessity (surgery or a specific medical treatment), working with a Medical Tourism Company to select the right hospital for your needs is a good idea. The cost to the patient is the same, if they use the services of a Medical Tourism Company or go directly to the hospital, but using the service of a medical tourism company has some notable benefits.

A competent medical tourism company can be an excellent source of information for hospitals and the physicians overseas. They have readily available information that can help compare between different hospitals, physicians and countries, without having to do information gathering on your own. In addition to saving time, the medical tourism company can help in medical loan financing, discounted travel arrangements and other concierge services to make your trip more convenient and satisfying.

A point to note is that a medical tourism company is not a medical advisory service. It provides information and facilitates logistics and communication. Medical Tourism FAQ should help clarify this common confusion. Medical advice or recommendation can be only given by your physician.

About the Author: Deepak Datta is an entrepreneur & President of Medical Tourism Corporation, a Plano TX based medical tourism company. Medical Tourism Corporation web address is http://www.medicaltourismco.com/. The mission of the company is to have satisfied and happy medical tourists.

Hospital Angeles in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico is part of Grupo Angeles, a business group that owns the largest private hospital chain in Mexico. The hospital is a very popular destination for US patients wanting lap band surgery (adjustable laparoscopic gastric banding). This is a popular type of bariatric (obesity/weight loss) surgery. An investment of more than 84 Million US dollars went into setting up this hospital.

There are no border charges to enter Ciudad Juarez from the USA. Travel by car, taxi, bus, and even simply walking across on foot is quite common across this international border. It took us less than 15 to minutes drive form the El Paso airport baggage claim area to the hospital in Juarez.

Hospital Angeles, Juarez, is a world class medical care facility designed especially to provide state-of-the-art high quality medical care to international patients. The hospital boasts of some of the best doctors in their field, supported by an able staff and latest medical technology equipment. Top bariatric surgeons (lap band, gastric sleeve, gastric bypass ) surgeons practice at this facility.

Video of Hospital Angeles, Juarez Mexico

Pictures of Hospital Angeles, Juarez Mexico

We were told that more than 70% of the current patients here for lap band are from United States. This was confirmed when we observed many Americans in the hosptial lobby. With the cost of high quality medical care here at a fraction of the USA cost, it is not surprising. Lap band surgery cost in Mexico is about US $8000 vs. the USA cost for the same surgery around US $25,000.

The hospital is a fully integrated hospital, meaning it offers complete medical services in-house (outpatient clinic, emergency room, pharmacy, intensive care unit, intermediate ICU, neonatal ICU, intermediate neonatal ICU, X-ray, tomography, MRI, nuclear medicine, fluoroscopy (it’s a X-Ray type machine used for lap band adjustments), angiography, fully equipped laboratory, blood bank, helicopter landing zone, doctor offices and more).

The hospital is self-contained with its own chapel, cafeteria, pharmacy, gift shop, ATM, and more. Unless, you want to take a look around, there will be no need for you to step outside the hospital premises.

For people wanting a taste of good old American fast foods, fast foods chains like Haagen-Dazs, Wendy, Subway, and Carl’s are walking distance from the hospital. But these might not be of interest to bariatric surgery patients.

About three miles from the hospital is a Hampton Inn Hotel, part of the Hilton Family, and a 4-star Mexican Hotel: City Express. These are used rarely by hospital patients as the patient and an accompanying guest are accommodated in the hospital.

Medical Tourism Corporation team hopes this report helps you in your journey to find the right medical destination.

For lap band surgery (laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding) or other international medical surgery, fill out the estimate request form on our site for a free quote and more information.

Hospital Clinica Biblica is the first hospital in Costa Rica to be accredited by JCI, USA. A JCI accreditation means a hospital has high quality of patient care and also a desire for continuous improvement.

Costa Rica, a tourist heaven, boasts a peaceful democracy, very low crime rate, great weather the year round and beautiful panorama of beaches, mountains, rain forest and more. There are more Americans living in Costa Rica per capita than in any other country outside the USA. You can take a flight to Costa Rica in 3 to 8 hours depending on where one flies from in the USA.

Costa Rica has one of the highest average life expectancies in the world of 78.7. This stands testimony to the high quality of health care in this country. The WHO ranks the Costa Rica health system ahead of 154 other countries including USA.

Hospital Clinica Biblica has a long history of being one of the most premier medical institutions in Costa Rica. The medical facility is located in San Jose, capital of Costa Rica. The hospital has an active collaboration with Tulane University School of Medicine and Ochsner Health System in USA. The hospital has some of the best doctors in Central America, with many cutting-edge medical procedures performed here. About 50% of the doctors here have been trained in the USA.

The Hospital monitors a number of quality indicators and their performance in these quality indicators is far better than that of leading hospitals in the USA.

The Hospital is self-contained and provides everything that a patient and an accompanying guest may need. Hospital Clinica Biblica has its own pharmacy, cafeteria, eating shops, shopping area, bank, medical laboratories, doctors’ offices and other patient amenities at the same location.

The hallways and waiting areas are very well designed and furnished. There is free wireless internet in the hospital. Also, every floor has an internet cafe that is free of charge.

The hospital has the latest medical equipment and technology. The patient suites are private and spacious with modern amenities like flat screen TV, phone, security box, wireless internet and more. The hospital has a dedicated staff for international patients who are available on call 24 hours a day. The hospital also makes sure that there is an English-speaking nurse in each ward when there is an English-speaking patient.

Hospital Clinica Biblica is the only private hospital in Costa Rica to have its own blood bank. The hospital management says the blood bank follows US blood bank standards and protocols.

The patient has a choice of beautiful private luxury “recovery centers” (special hotels with round-the-clock nurse) that the hospital offers for Medical Tourists’ post-surgery recovery after discharge from the hospital. The patients also have the option of the physiotherapist visiting them, versus the patient traveling for physiotherapy.

Hospital Clinica Biblica has a number of patients from USA and Canada. They are attracted to the high quality, lower cost and no waiting lines for medical treatment. The hospital is a leading provider of Medical Tourism in Costa Rica.

Medical Tourism Corporation team hopes this report helps you in your journey to find the right medical destination.

Medical Tourism Corporation facilitates affordable medical treatment at Hospital Clinica Biblica in Costa Rica and other world class international hospitals. Fill out the estimate request form on our site for a free quote and more information.

Hospital Angeles is Mexico’s largest hospital group with twenty hospitals. It is part of Grupo Angeles conglomerate that owns businesses in health, industry, commerce, entertainment, education and tourism. Achieving annual growth rates of close to 50% over the last five years, Hospital Angeles has grown into the leading chain of private hospitals not only in Mexico, but in all of Latin America.

All the Hospital Angeles facilies in Mexico boast cutting edge technology and offer a range of specialties expected in a major medical center. Angeles Hospital in Pedregal, Mexico is also into adult stem cells research. bariatric surgery (lap band, gastric band, gastric bypass & gastric sleeve are the most popular among international patients).

Two of the finest hospital’s that are part of Grupo Angeles are located in US Mexico Border cities. This is to cater to the international patients keen on high quality affordable medical services. Physicians working at these hospitals are board certified & experts in their specialties. Many in the staff are bilingual and the hospitals have been designed keeping the high quality of medical care that a US patient would expect. The hospitals have signs both in Spanish & English. The price of medical care in these hospitals is sixty to seventy percent less than for the same procedure in the United States.

The first hospital catering to international patients is Hospital Angeles, Tijuana. Located just about 25 miles from San Diego, CA this hospital was opened in 2005. It is the only fully integrated hospital in Tijuana.

Attracted to high quality & affordable price, about fifty percent of the patients here are from United States. The hospital is located in an upscale area with all common patient amenities inside the hospital compound. The hospital has a beautiful & warm decor with a feeling of a high end hotel rather than a hospital.

The second, catering to international patients is Hospital Angeles in Ciudad Juarez, the twin city to El Paso, TX. This hospital is just about 15 minutes drive from the El Paso Airport. The new hospital that was inaugurated in 2007 occupies 430,000 square feet. This place is about 4 miles from where the US Embassy plans to relocate and is also a beautiful upscale area.

Hospital Angeles, Juarez also, has special luxury suites besides the state of the art medical equipment. The facility is self contained with a cafeteria, pharmacy, ATM, Chapel & more. More than 70 percent of the patients here are from the United States.

Both the Hospitals Angeles in Tijuana & Ciudad Juarez are located strategically near the US border, and are projected to lead Medical Tourism in Mexico. Compared to other hospitals in the US Mexico border area, these hospitals are about to be JCI accredited, and are self contained (blood bank, pharmacy, X-ray, doctor offices, laboratories etc at the same place). That means they have all the patient & accompanying guest amenities inside the hospital compound. This saves the need to make an out of hospital area trip.

Medical Tourism Corporation facilitates medical trips to Hospital Angeles, in Mexico and other world class hospitals. Contact for more information on Hospital Angeles, Mexico.