Medical tourism

Before you go

Before you make any plans to have a medical, cosmetic, or dental treatment overseas, you should:

• Research the destination, hospital, the practitioner’s qualifications and accreditations, the hospital and practitioner’s indemnity and malpractice insurance, and the procedure.  This may help reduce the risk of things going wrong.
• Talk to your health practitioner in New Zealand about the medical procedure and the risks.  Get a health check before you go.
• Understand the full costs of the surgery, including post-care costs if you need to stay longer due to post-surgical complications.
• Make sure you've got appropriate vaccinations.
• Identify who can go with you.  You may need support, especially if things go wrong, and they may need to make decisions for you.
• Get a specialised insurance policy that covers the costs of your specific procedure, including unexpected costs.
• Bring copies of your medical records with you, including results of lab tests and other tests related to your condition and care. Inform the medical staff at your destination of allergies you may have. 
• Make sure your will is up to date.

Insurance and costs

It might be cheaper to have a medical procedure in another country, but as with all travel, you should be prepared for the unexpected. Make sure you tell your travel insurance company about your plans to receive a medical procedure outside of New Zealand.  Basic travel insurance policies rarely cover medical tourism. Get a specialised policy that covers the costs of your specific procedure. Make sure your travel insurance covers complications and medical evacuation.

You are responsible for the cost of your treatment, and costs incurred if something goes wrong.

Medical standards and practices in other countries

If you are travelling to a country where you don’t speak the local language, it may be difficult to communicate with healthcare professionals about your care.

You should also be prepared for hygiene and medical practice to be different to those in New Zealand. For example:

• Diseases like hepatitis B and HIV can be transmitted by medical equipment that hasn’t been properly sterilised.
• Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be more common in some countries than others.
• Blood products might not have been screened for blood-borne infections.
• Limited or no post operative care.

You should also consider what will happen if there are complications from your medical procedure. Does the country you’re travelling to have the capacity to provide intensive care? Will you need to be evacuated to New Zealand if an emergency happens?

Medication standards can also be different. Poor quality, or counterfeit medications or surgical products are a problem in some countries.

Post surgery

Make plans for your recovery period after a medical, cosmetic, or dental treatment. 

Flying after surgery may increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis, seek advice from your health practitioner before you fly.  

Post surgery problems may not appear until well after surgery and you have returned home. Ensure you obtain as much information about your surgery as possible, including medications given and medical devices used, before you leave - you may need to get these translated.  

If you are feeling unwell after your trip you may need to seek medical care. Be sure to tell your health practitioner where you went and provide the information you obtained about your surgery.