More Products


Important Information


Company Information



Medical tourism getting ready to roll

Radical new laws being drafted in Brussels would give citizens of the UK the right to procure health care services anywhere in Europe, at no charge.

 

Under the new laws being drawn up, restrictions on medical treatment across borders would be lifted, promoting 'health tourism' across the Continent.

 

The NHS could, in the future, fund the dental work, surgery and other health care procedures of Britons anywhere in Europe. Britons would still have to cover their travel costs, including flights and accommodation. In addition, they would be required to pay the difference between the cost of the treatment abroad and the price of the treatment offered in the UK.

 

According to Katherine Murphy, from the Patients' Association, the legislation should act as "a wake-up call to the NHS to put its house in order".

 

Others agree, predicting that if the laws pass, patients will probably flow out of Britain rather than into it. The UK's health care system has a poor reputation plagued with long waiting times.

 

Abroad, domestic patients would be placed in priority spots on waiting lists above foreign patients but for Britons that could still mean a faster waiting time than at home.

 

The new legislation comes from a series of court cases over the last ten years enshrining the right of patients to seek treatment abroad when they are unable to access it in a timely manner at home. Over 3,000 patients have sought medical treatment in Europe over the past five years and had their care paid for by the NHS. The new legislation would make this practice available to every citizen in 27 countries across Europe.

 


Follow these links to find out more or to get a quote on Travel insurance, UK airport parking, UK airport hotels or UK airport lounges.



Jennifer Jones Editorial


25/11/2007



Related Travel News:

 
 



Read more Travel Insurance news