World - Medical Tourism-Questions To Ask Your Doctor Abroad

If you are one of the growing number of people considering medical tourism for your health care needs, it is absolutely vital that you do careful research and ask all the right questions before committing yourself to a medical procedure or surgery abroad.

Your health is important enough to make sure that you ask all the right questions and to ensure that you are satisfied with the answers you receive.

This may be even more important for the medical tourist. After all, who wants to find themselves alone, sick and confused in a foreign country?

Medical tourism will be beneficial to you if you ask the right questions and make the right decisions.

Here are some questions you may want to consider asking your doctor when embarking on medical tourism.

Some of these questions, such as the various methods of treatment available, may be discussed with your primary care doctor, while others are appropriate to ask your overseas doctor.

What are your qualifications?

Where did you study medicine and earn your qualifications?

(The answers to these questions should be fairly easy to verify.)

What procedure are you recommending? (Ask the doctor to explain the procedure and how it is done.)

Is there more than one way of doing the procedure?

(If the answer to the above question is yes) Why do you want to do the procedure one way over another way?

How much experience do you have doing this procedure/surgery?

Of those, how many have run into complications?

What types of complications might arise from this type of procedure?

What is the mortality rate of your patients who have had this procedure?

Are there alternatives to surgery?

What are the benefits and risks of the alternatives?

How much will the procedure cost?

What is the surgeon’s fee, and what does it cover?

Are follow-up costs included?

Will my insurance cover any or all of the costs?

What are the benefits of having the procedure?

How long will the benefits last?

What are the risks of having the procedure?

What side effects might I expect?

How much pain is involved and what will you do to help stop the pain?

What if I don’t have this procedure? What will I gain or lost by not having it done now? Could I be in more pain? Could my condition worsen? Could the problem go away?

What kind of anesthesia will I need?

Can I meet the person who will give the anesthesia?

What are his/her qualifications?

What are the side effects and risks of having anesthesia in my case?

(Be sure to tell the doctor what medical problems you have, what allergies you have, and what medications, including vitamins and supplements, you have been taking.)

How long will it take me to recover?

How will I feel?

What will I be able to do?

What activities should I avoid, and for how long?

How long will I be in the hospital?

What kind of supplies, equipment and help will I need at home?

Do I need to make any modifications to my normal diet?

How long will it be before I can go back to work or start regular exercise?

What medication will I need to take after the procedure?

What side effects might these medications cause?

How long will I need to continue these medications?

Should I avoid any foods or other medicines while taking this medication?

Can I drink alcohol while taking this medication?

What if I forget to take a medicine?

Will my insurance cover this medication?

Is there a generic form of the medicine, and can I take it?

At which hospital will the procedure be done?

Are there alternative hospitals for me to choose?

How often is this procedure done at that hospital?

What is the success rate for this procedure at that hospital?

(If your surgeon suggests using a hospital with a lower success rate for your surgery) Why do you prefer to use this hospital rather than the alternative?

With today’s medical tourism industry offering such a wide range of medical procedures, surgeries, and health care options, and because each person’s case is different, it’s impossible to provide a fully complete list of questions, but it is safe to say that you will go into the experience pretty well-informed if you ask your doctor the questions provided here.

Be a wise traveler. Do your research. Ask questions. Get a second opinion. Go in with your eyes open to all possibilities. Then enjoy all the benefits afforded to the medical tourist. Have a wonderful, healthful holiday!

http://www.medical-travel-asia.com is dedicated in telling the world that Asia is THE place for medical tourism and the right place to come and seek medical help. Asia has so many things to offer to the world, we simply want to tell people WHY.

On top of that, we also happen to know where are the best beaches here in Asia to recuperate after a surgery. Come to Asia if you are seeking medical treatment, get well, and take back some beautiful holiday memories at the same time.

Nancy Wee


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