Medical tourism offers travel firms untapped growth
(Reuters) - A dentist's office may not be everyone's idea of a perfect holiday destination.
But a growing number of Europeans are travelling abroad for medical treatment to save money, or maybe to combine a visit to the doctor with some sightseeing, creating a fast-growing market that is still largely untapped by traditional tour operators.
"It was simply cheaper for me to go to a dentist in Hungary," said a 42-year-old physical therapist from Berlin, who did not want to give his name.
He chose the clinic near Budapest from an Internet advertisement, enticed by hundreds of euros in savings compared with the same treatment in Germany. He was happy to find when he got there that the clinic was clean, the staff competent and the work thorough.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/07/us-medical-tourism-idUKBRE9260C220130307
No - this does not refer to travel to the UK for free treatment.
Overseas 'health tourists' costing NHS at least £40m
The NHS has lost at least £40m in four years by failing to identify so-called "health tourists" accessing hospital care, a BBC investigation has found.
Health Minister Anna Soubry admitted the system for identifying people who are not entitled to free care is complex and at times "flawed".
Hospitals in England and Wales are obliged to ensure NHS patients have lived in the UK for the past 12 months.
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But 45 out of 133 hospital trusts which gave details said they do not check.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19789397