Weight loss medical tourism is common. What are the biggest concerns? Sometimes, one’s country might not be able to provide healthcare facilities that will help unravel certain ailments. There seems to be insufficient facilities and remedy for some health anomalies; a situation that had sent many abroad for treatment.
There is estimated increase in number of obese people with many countries topping the chart. Nonetheless, patients are finding their way in cutting down excess fat in their body. Apart from regular exercise, there are other weight loss treatments that require surgical operations in severe cases. This had led to continued influx of patients in countries that are reputed to perform creditably in such areas.
However, there are worries expressed by teeming individuals that wish to undergo weight loss medical tourism to get treatments. The top eleven (11) posers that taunt their memory and often lead to feet of clay will be discussed.
Medical Tourism – The Big Game
Medical Tourism – The Big GameIt is pertinent to understand the concept “weight loss medical tourism”. Because most countries have insufficient facilities that can cater for weight loss treatments, patients have taken to weight loss medical tourism.
Though some home countries offer low rates and have facilities that can cater for patients, they rather seek to get the service abroad. While some embark on weight loss medical tourism to get a feel of same service in the “outside world” at reduced cost, other simply do so to test waters.
Weight loss medical tourism has to do with taking leave of one’s home country in search of medical treatments outside the country’s shores. There has been astronomical rise in this regard and most of these are mainly for patients that seek surgical operations such as weight loss treatments.
Though the land seems greener abroad, patients still nurse some feelings of what they should expect at the other end. To this end, 11 biggest concerns people have about weight loss medical tourism have been discussed below. You will also find out ways to overcome these and have the weight loss treatment that will give you the hour-glass figure you always craved for.
Fear of Being Alone
Some countries tend to have strict regulations for patients on weight loss medical tourism. While some might allow you come with a relative or friend, the feeling of loneliness still lingers. You will be left alone in the hospital ward and your supposed company separated from you.
In such scenario, the patient is literally in a world of his own and tends to have awkward feelings. The situation is heightened with unfamiliarity with the environment. Given the fact that you’re in another country, you will feel alien to their way of life.
Most times, in non-English speaking countries, a patient will find communication hard. To this end, he becomes the odd man out and will become secluded as a result. Apart from friendly atmosphere within the hospital, the patient tends to have heightened tension on what the outside world looks like.
While this situation is common among patients on weight loss medical tourism, there are still ways you can overcome if you find yourself in this shoe. First, you have to reassure yourself that you’re not alone. Though this is obvious, you can find solace in magazines and books. This keeps you company till the day of your surgical operation.
Alternatively, you can interact with other patients (if you’re not in a separate ward). Such interactions tend to bring you closer to others that are not your relative. It also releases pent-up feelings of what the surgery might look like.
You can laugh off your sorrows and have less negative thoughts about the outcome of the surgery. This is possible in many ways but interacting with fellow patients is better way to get off your self-pity and find companions throughout the stay of your weight loss medical tourism.
Falling into Wrong Hands
It will amount to playing into the devil’s hand if you get into wrong hands. While seeking for better hospitals abroad, you should take into account the pedigree and patients’ opinion about the hospital you selected for your weight loss medical tourism.
Sometimes, patients are not pleased with service delivery during and after their weight loss surgeries. The reason is not far-fetched from the fact that they got the negative aspect of their expectations.
There is tendency that you might be handled by inexperienced doctors if you failed to make appropriate researches before taking off. Sometimes, the problem does not come from the doctors. There are some weight loss treatments that are complex and when the supposed personnel that will handle it are not on ground, you might be passed on to available ones.
To solve this issue, always make findings and have accurate data before embarking on weight loss medical tourism. The internet had simplified the process; you can make verifications over the net. Make sure the information you have is trusted. This will help you get the best treatment when you get to your location. Choosing Weight Loss Riga means you're in good hands. Our doctor has over 25 years of experience including over 10 years of bariatric specialization.
No Insurance to Pay For Your Weight Loss Medical Tourism
You wouldn’t want to lose your life or get hurt in the process. This creates another issue that sets patients over the edge. Host countries hardly have insurance measures in place in the event of something going wrong.
Some countries however fail to accept patients on this ground. The reason behind this was to avoid the long legal tussle and costs that might be incurred in the process. There is possibility of your not having legal recourse when you feel displeased with the quality of service you got.
Patients are therefore wary of embarking on weight loss medical tourism to countries that don’t have insurance policies that will cater for patients when the procedure goes bad. In this light, lack of legal backing might force some countries to reject your treatment and the few that allow you might not be of help as there is no insurance in place
This issue can be solved if you’re able to ascertain the requirements for having the treatment in the host country. You should also consider hiring the service of a lawyer before the treatment as your foothold to seek legal redress if the procedure did not favor you.
Follow-Up Care
If you’re quickly sent packing from a hospital after your treatment, then you have put yourself on the line. Follow-up after the weight loss surgical operation is no doubt, the most crucial part of your treatment.
This issue is one out of many reasons patients hardly opt for weight loss medical tourism. The point is that having no professional advice on how to keep fit throughout the healing process does not have good tidings.
Hence, patients are keen to find out if a hospital has support for follow-up care. However, hospitals offering such service charge exorbitant fees. To this end, there is grunted feeling among patients after much funds have been spent on their treatment.
It had been asserted that patients that opt for weight loss medical tourism are at risk of having less insurance and inability to get follow-up care. The essential role this care plays in the healing process is quite much and should be taken serious.
To this end, a patient can overcome this challenge by opting for hospitals that offer the service. How can such hospitals be identified? Surfing online and seeking out patients that might have embarked on weight loss medical tourism at some point is faster way of finding out hospitals that support follow-up care.
Hidden Costs - But Not With Riga, Latvia!
It is quite true that embarking on weight loss medical tourism is often budget-friendly but there are instances that what night have passed as cost-saving measure will have you spending more than what you could have if you were in your home country.
Sometimes, there are hidden charges such as follow-up care costs. Extra services such as accommodation will pile up your fees. The cost of these services tends to be higher than that of your country. Coupled with foreign exchange rates, you will find yourself at the other side of the bargain if you fail to compile costs before taking off.
To this end, always find out the grand total of your treatment to avoid hiccups. You can also find hospitals that offer up-to-date services at reduced cost before planning a visit. One of the best of these is Weight Loss Riga, one of the only clinic that offers inclusive packages.
Language Barriers
Weight loss medical tourism also has another challenge – communication barriers. In your home country, you tend to find natives that speak your language. Even when they don’t, your country’s lingua franca becomes last resort to communicate.
Language barrier is another issue that has kept patients awake. There is possibility of their being in the dark throughout the medical procedure if they fail to keep up with communication. From interactions with medical personnel to other patients, the story remains the same.
The communication gap will further deepen if there is no consensus that will see involved parties conversing without hiccups. To this end, it would have been advisable to opt for countries that have same lingua franca as yours for your weight loss medical tourism. However, most countries offering the service hardly have English as their official mode of communication.
Overcoming this entails your employing the service of a native speaker that can translate languages. Interestingly, some hospitals already have provisions for translators. Thus, your mind should be at peace as measures are available to help you scale this issue.
Risk of Complications
While most hospitals offer safe treatment, there is underlying risk. Complications might arise at the end of a treatment. Some complications become evident few days after the treatment. That is why staying put for some weeks after your weight loss treatment is advisable.
Though the best hands might have been behind the procedure, complications are common incidence. Hence, you should take off time to rest and watch yourself for any negative sign.
This is where follow-up care comes into play. Regular checkup after treatment places you in good chance of finding out complications in time. It is therefore advisable to register your treatment with accredited hospitals that offer follow-up care at reduced costs.
Medical Regulations
Some countries have strict regulations with regards to medical tourism. With particular reference to weight loss, the treatment is often a risky one and host countries won’t want to have death toll cases on their hands.
For this reason, they came up with regulations that have to be met before you can be granted permission to come over for your weight loss medical tourism. Such regulations also extend to drugs and other medical services that will be offered to a patient throughout his stay.
There is possibility of having counterfeit drugs as some of these regulations might not extend to pharmaceutical companies.
It is important to find out what these regulations are and how they apply to you. If you feel threatened, it is better to opt out and choose the next viable option.
Availability of Equipment
One of the reasons why patients opt to plan a weight loss medical tourism is because their home country’s hospitals lack sufficient equipment to cater for their needs. This raises another issue – availability of equipment in the host country.
Though some countries have world-class tools for weight loss treatments, others do not. It is left for the patient to find out country’s that up the ante in this regard and schedule their weight loss medical tourism in such countries.
This saves them the embarrassment of meeting same standards as their home country. Hence, checks should be run before taking off on your weight loss medical treatment.
Unsafe Environment
A hospital’s physical environment might be attractive but the death toll is on the rise. Patients will be afraid to go under the knife when chances of their survival are not certain. Patients won’t want to take the long journey from their home countries only to pass away in a foreign land. Thus, there is need to verify the safety of a hospital before scheduling a visit.
Apart from this, the personnel should be looked at well. While some surgeons are in the field of weight loss surgery, there are professionals that have reputation of safe service delivery. Hence, you should book your weight loss medical tourism in hospitals that has the best hands and reduced mortality rate.
Unaccredited Hospitals
Healthcare systems are booming and this had forced many to start establishing centers that offer healthcare services. Thus, hospitals abound with the number controlled by private sector larger than the government’s.
Hence, there is tendency that such hospitals might not have gotten accreditation from relevant authorities before taking off. There is also possibility of your playing to their gallery. Though they may boast of the best personnel, working without accreditation disqualifies them from offering healthcare-related services.
As a first-timer, you might not be able to differentiate accredited hospitals from non-accredited. This had been bane of patients’ issues with weight loss medical tourism. There is however a way about this.
You can engage the service of local medical tourism facilitators. These set of persons are legally empowered to strike connection between patients and hospitals. Through this channel, the issue of unaccredited hospitals will be solved.
You will be directed to hospitals that have been verified and are doing well in the weight loss treatment you wish to get.
Final Thoughts on Weight Loss Medical Tourism
It is not out of place having issues with a system you’re not familiar with. In the case of weight loss medical tourism, it is usually herculean task finding the best hospital with relevant personnel and up-to-date facilities.
Several hitches can be taken off your weight loss journey if you were able to use these proffered solutions in overcoming concerns that have overwhelmed many in their weight loss medical tourism journey. Call or submit a contact form to us at Weight Loss Riga. We're happy to help you understand how bariatric surgery in Riga could improve your life!
