- Home >
- Magazine Table of Contents - november-2009 >
- Worst Medical Tourism Disasters
Worst Medical Tourism Disasters
iStock
Cosmetic Surgery in Thailand
The Botch Job: A woman in her 50s decided to take a “scalpel tour” from Sydney to a Bangkok hospital for a breast lift and tummy tuck, reported Reuters in 2007. She was discharged and within five days developed an infection in her abdomen and left breast. The doctors offered to readmit her, but at her own cost. Her budget depleted, she boarded the nine-hour flight home, gravely ill and with weeping wounds and a potentially fatal infection. She has had several rounds of revision surgery.
The Real Deal: Thailand’s medical tourism is booming, and the country offers some of the cheapest medical treatments in the world. Many problems can be traced back to private clinics, so seek out accredited institutions and don’t buy into Internet hype or word-of-mouth recommendations.
