Health Wales dental columnist Alison Lowe last week gave her assessment of dentistry abroad. But Alison Hope, of StatMedica, which helps patients travelling to Poland, claims dentistry abroad is not necessary the poor relation to British dental treatment
FOR most patients in the UK there have previously been only two options for dental and medical treatment – treatment on the NHS, which has many well-documented problems, or private treatment, which can be a prohibitively expensive option for some.
There is now a third option emerging, as increasing numbers look abroad for effective healthcare solutions.
This concept, commonly known as “medical tourism” continues to gain momentum, and has been much discussed in recent months, as the notion of travelling outside the UK for treatment becomes more widely acknowledged, to the extent that health insurance providers are considering options to include it in their policies.
But this phenomenon also appears to have its fair share of critics.
Many of the misconceptions and myths surrounding medical tourism stem from a lack of understanding of foreign medical training and procedures along with the natural inclination to believe that the best possible healthcare and treatment can only be found in the UK.
The most popular misconception about medical tourism is that you get what you pay for, and a patient travelling overseas in order to receive cheaper treatment will receive inferior treatment.
This is not the case at all. StatMedica assists patients travelling to Poland for dental and medical treatment and carefully selects the clinics and hospitals that we work with, and, in many cases, the specialists are leaders in their field.
It is the difference in the economies that makes Poland a more cost-effective option.
Patients who travel overseas for dental or medical treatment do not tend to make the decision lightly, and rarely travel on a whim.
With the help of email and the internet, patients often scrutinise the experience and qualifications of their surgeon, and are more likely to ask many more detailed questions, such as the material used in their dental implants for instance, than they would if they were visiting a dentist in their home town.
“What if something goes wrong?” is a very common question. While nobody goes ahead with a procedure with the intention of complications, it is certainly something to bear in mind.
Some dentists and doctors in Poland have guarantees in place should anything go wrong, and this is increasingly with a partner clinic in the UK.
The fact that Poland is now a member of the EU and must therefore comply with certain high standards should offer further assurance.
With a large influx of migrant workers from Poland to the UK, one could imagine that highly-respected medical professionals would also make the decision to move west. However this is not the case.
Many of the specialists that StatMedica works with have built up a solid reputation and have invested in advanced technology in their own practices and are reluctant to move away.
At the same time, many younger doctors are returning to Poland, having spent time working in other countries, including the UK, and have an awareness of working practices with British hospitals and have learned and improved their skills in English.
Dentists and doctors in the UK may be less keen on the concept of their regular patients travelling overseas for treatment. However they cannot deny that the trend towards medical tourism is set to grow.
For many people, it is not simply a decision between having treatment at home or having treatment overseas. It is often a case of having treatment overseas or not at all, as some procedures may appear prohibitively expensive at home.
Travelling overseas for treatment may not be suitable for everyone. However it should not be dismissed as easily as its critics would like us to.
Instead, it is an option that should be considered for many types of treatment, including dentistry, fertility treatment, eye surgery and general surgery such as hip and knee replacements.
It is an alternative that can make a lot of sense as long as the patient has thoroughly researched the procedure, the specialist and the clinic.
For more information about StatMedica, visit www.statmedica.com
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