Prague, Czech Republic (PRWEB) March 14, 2009

Beauty in Prague is excited to announce its cosmetic surgery statistics for 2008. From the UK to Ireland, Beauty in Prague has been providing cosmetic surgery procedures for very affordable prices (http://www.beautyinprague.com/).

In 2008, there were a little over 250 confirmed bookings for various packages to Prague by individuals from other countries. These individuals embarked upon cosmetic surgery holidays. Compared to 2007, the demand for cosmetic surgery increased 20 per cent in 2008. The favourite cosmetic surgeries of clients from the UK traveling for cosmetic surgery abroad were breast augmentation, tummy tucks, facelifts, and liposuction.

According to cosmetic surgery statistics, those patients consisted of 70 per cent women and 30 per cent men. Such procedures as tummy tucks were up 38 per cent at £2,209 for each procedure. This is compared to the British price of £6,000.

Beauty in Prague also saw a 40 per cent increase in male breast reduction amongst British clients. All in all, Britons spent £100 million on cosmetic surgery holidays in Prague. This Czech Republic city has become a very popular destination for medical tourism trips.

Furthermore, the Times Online states that as plastic surgery grows in popularity, Britons will continue to choose cosmetic surgery abroad in order to secure low plastic surgery prices. As it stands, approximately 30,000 patients travel each year to receive treatment on medical tourism vacations. A third of these individuals are on cosmetic surgery holidays. The £100 million amount is only two-thirds less than what Britons are spending in their own country.

But Britons are not only choosing cosmetic surgery abroad because of the low prices, but they are doing so because of the high standards that are used and the efficiency of cosmetic surgery clinics in Prague. Nearly 40 per cent of the Britons seeking cosmetic surgery in Prague state that they do so because they are worried about hospital infections in Briton. However, 93 per cent have stated satisfaction with the surgery they received and would recommend cosmetic surgery abroad to their family members and friends in one of the three top cosmetic surgery abroad destinations. Those destinations are Spain, Belgium, and the Czech Republic.

In regards to Beauty in Prague, Jane from the UK States, “In my opinion Beauty in Prague is the best place to come to if you are considering cosmetic surgery abroad, especially for a single person travelling alone. Every need is catered for; there is no need to feel nervous you will feel secure, so I would definitely recommend Beauty in Prague not just for everyone but especially for a single person travelling on their own.”

Alan, also from the UK agrees, stating “I am pleased that I had the facelift, it’s so nice to look in the mirror and see a younger version of me and it makes me feel so much better about myself. So my thanks go out to Beauty in Prague and all the staff at the clinic.”

The statistics speak for themselves that a growing number of individuals are choosing Prague as their cosmetic surgery holiday destination.

For additional information contact Tamara Zdinakova or visit http://www.beautyinprague.com .

About Beauty in Prague

Beauty in Prague offers cosmetic surgery abroad packages and plastic surgery holidays in Prague including accommodation. Website provides information about procedures (facelifts, tummy tucks, breast enlargements, breast reductions, eyelid surgeries, liposuction, gynecomastia, rhinoplasty etc.), costs, and online consultations with plastic surgeons.

Contact:

Tamara Zdinakova, Managing Director/Owner

GSM:    +420.608.905.384

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Panama (PRWEB) October 31, 2007

Pana-Health, Corp., Panama’s premier Medical Tourism Company, have recently signed affiliation contracts with the two largest, and most experienced Hospitals in Panama, Clinica Hospital San Fernando and Centro Medico Paitilla. These two Hospitals have over 30 years of experience in the medical arena, are equipped with state of the art technology, and have affiliations to highly distinguished international Institutions such as Cleveland Clinic, Tulane University Medical Center of New Orleans, Baptist Hospital South Florida and Miami Children’s Hospital, among others.

These alliances strengthen Panama’s medical choices to patients looking for first class medical services that are, both, closer to home and affordable.

Pana-Health was founded in 2003 by a small group of doctors and has rapidly grown to become a Company with over 150 of the best doctors in Panama. Membership is by invitation only, and after peer recommendation and review. Pana-Health brings personalized attention to all medical travelers, helping them to find the best doctors in Panama for their specific needs, as well as handle consultations and appointment scheduling. Its alliance with Pesantez Tours, the largest tour operator in Panama, gives Pana-Health the capacity to take care of transportation, lodging and any type of tourism that the patient wishes to do while visiting the country.

For more information, visit www.pana-health.com

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The State of California Health Insurance requirements are as big as the state. The state’s Department of Health Care Services itself promotes several health care services. There are other private physicians and clinics operating all across the state. The facilities available with these different health care providers, and accordingly their charges, vary a lot. As such, getting the right California Health Insurance Quotes is a prime requirement for most residents of California.

While health care is expensive pretty much all over the world, in United States medical charges are exceptionally high. So much so that the situation has given rise to what is known as medical tourism. People find it easier to cross the national borders to go across to Mexico or Costa Rica to get a tooth extracted or a root canal done. In the background of such a scenario, as in the case of the residents of the rest of the country, awareness of medical insurance is important for the residents of California also. To compare and contrast the different California Health Insurance rates, one has to first of all get all California Health Insurance Quotes.

What has given rise to medical tourism is the availability of cheap medical care of excellent quality in developing countries. For those who do not have medical insurance, even with the traveling costs, and expenses for staying at a motel for a day or two, it works out cheaper than getting it locally done. In these developing countries where people from richer countries go searching for medical aid, transportation and lodging also are quite inexpensive. So it is an ideal solution to turn medical problems like dental care into a holiday package, by going to Panama for a weekend, together with one’s family. However, this may not work for everyone money-wise, time-wise, and situation-wise. A more practical solution for them will be finding cheap California Health Insurance rates with the help of California Health Insurance Quotes, so far as they are residents of California.

In the state of California the state department of insurance is in control of California health insurance rates. This essentially translates into the truth that California Health Insurance rates are quite cheap compared to other states. By getting all California Health Insurance Quotes people can compare and select the best from among these cheap rates.

While in the past, cosmetic and plastic surgery were usually preferred to be conducted at developed and sophisticated facilities in the United States and in other first-world countries, nowadays, the emergence of medical tourism has made going to other countries a viable and reasonable option. Despite the fact that quality of such medical procedures has not deteriorated in developed countries, many people now prefer to ‘be done’ elsewhere.

The dominating trend in the sector for global cosmetic surgery is governed by affordability. Prices abroad of common and special aesthetic surgical procedures, like liposuction, breast augmentation, face lift, tummy-tuck, rhinoplasty and laser hair removal, are drastically lesser compared to costs of having such procedures done in the US or in UK, for example. Further, aggressive marketing strategies implemented by offshore plastic surgeons and their clinics are persuading more people to fly to other countries for any cosmetic operations.

Medical tourism is providing more people chances to finally take the cosmetic surgery procedure they need and want. The growing marketplace abroad for such medical procedures is further lowering consumers’ expenses. As for safety, much to rave about is the fact that most plastic surgeons and professional staff in clinics abroad have also received medical education and training in Europe or in the US. Almost all are also striving to secure international accreditation and certification to assure potential patients of their safety, reliability and standard quality of services.

When choosing a country for plastic surgery, it is important to focus on overall safety. Many countries, especially in the third world, are offering the lowest costs. Do your research and determine the safety and satisfaction rate in such clinics. If you have colleagues or friends who have undergone cosmetic surgery abroad, you might ask them advices or recommendations. While it is your goal to save on costs, remember not to miss on making sure your overall safety is not compromised. Here are some additional guidelines.

Choose cosmetic clinics in nations near your home country. Patients in the American continents could travel to Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Brazil. The Asia Pacific region has the most aggressive and less costly plastic surgery offerings in Thailand, the Philippines, China, India and Malaysia. In Europe, Turkey, Ukraine and Malta have good, reputable and very cheap cosmetic surgery clinics.
Plan well and ahead of schedule. In the United States and UK, it may take months before cosmetic surgery procedures push through, despite high costs. In other countries, scheduling can be finalized within just days. Just make sure you do not travel during peak tourist seasons to avoid travel hassles. Allot a few days for recovery after the face surgery, tummy-tuck, breast augmentation or rhinoplasty. Traveling by air after surgical procedures is not advised as doing so may lead to pulmonary embolisms or blood-clot formations. Take several days to rest, relax and recover.
Many medical travel tours even offer vacation packages. After your surgical operation, there will be several additional days of vacation at beaches and tourist sites, included in package deals. Just be careful not to enjoy too much as it may cause bleeding and infection to the wound. Just relax and enjoy your getaway.
Do a simple research about the overall security and consumer protection legislations in the country of your choice. Is the country notorious for not imposing laws that guarantee patients’ and consumers’ overall safety and protection? If the country could not offer safety blankets to its citizens, at least when it comes to cosmetic surgery procedures, do not expect it to extend such provisions to traveling patients and medical tourists.

Highly qualified and experienced doctors and physicians working in internationally accredited and certified hospitals and clinics in all specialties provide high standards in quality of care to individuals around the world. Individuals around the globe seeking affordable and accessible healthcare services are increasingly looking beyond domestic borders for such care.

Rising Health Care Costs Driving Global Medical Tourism
Rising health care costs in the U.S., coupled with the uncertainty of new health care legislation prompts growing numbers of Americans to travel abroad for cheaper medical procedures and surgery. Surgery costs abroad are less expensive than the U.S. because, for the most part, due to lower medical malpractice insurance costs.

The cost of medical care in the U.S. has increased substantially, in conjunction with the need for medical care providers to carry increasingly high levels of such insurance, which in turn drives up the care for everything from a wellness check to heart valve replacement surgery.

Lack of accessibility to quality medical care and choices in medical care is driving inhabitants around the Middle East, Africa, and Central Europe beyond their own borders in search of options when it comes to their health and wellness.

A handful of procedures continue to rank high in popularity with travelers seeking the best in care in destinations from Costa Rica and Panama to South Korea, Croatia and Jordan. Tourism destination favorites such as Singapore and Thailand continue to offer world-class treatments and procedures, but other countries and their world-class facilities are fast catching up.

7 Most Popular Medical Procedures Abroad
A handful of the most popular procedures sought after by travelers offers big savings, effective treatments and optimal prognosis and results in a variety of fields, including:

Gastric bypass is generally performed using a technique called Roux-en-Y, a procedure that reduces the size of the stomach to create a pouch that accepts no more than an ounce or so of food at a time. In Great Britain and the U.S., costs for bariatric surgery can cost up to ,000. The same technique performed in India costs roughly ,500, while South American destination costs hover around ,000.

Conventional hip replacement surgery involves large incisions made around the hip joint. Muscles are detached, the ball joint of the hip removed and replaced with a prosthesis or artificial joint. The artificial joint is attached to the thighbone with materials that allow bone to reattach to the new joint or by using a cement-like product.

Minimally invasive surgery involves a one or two incision technique where the length of the incisions are half those that are commonly used for the conventional hip replacement surgeries. Other than the size of the incision, the technique for the actual replacement of the ball joint is the same as that in the conventional surgery.

Patients from Iraq, Nigeria and locations throughout east-central Europe traveling to India, Singapore and Thailand benefit from hip replacement surgical procedures that cost about ,000. In India, costs range around ,000-,000.

Infertility Treatments – IVF
Eggs and sperm are collected outside of the body and placed together in a laboratory dish to form into an embryo or embryos in a lab environment. After fertilization, they are then placed into the uterus of a female recipient. In vitro fertilization is an option for any couple who have been unsuccessful with other methods.

In the United States, the average cost of one cycle of IVF may average ,400. The same procedure in the Argentina costs around ,000, while Thailand facilities offer the same procedures for about ,500.

Heart valve replacement surgery replaces heart valves that have narrowed and obstructed blood flow into or out of the heart. Heart valve replacement surgeries are often indicated for those suffering from congenital heart valve diseases or those suffering from heart conditions such as rheumatic valve disease, coronary artery disease, heart attack damage, cardiomyopathy or heart muscle disease.

Heart valve replacement or repair in the United States costs an average of ,000 per valve. Mitral valve replacement may cost around ,000 to ,000, depending on hospital location. Multiple valve replacement surgical procedures may cost up to 0,000.

Medical travelers to India, Jordan and Singapore receive quality of service at greater savings, with single valve replacements generally costing around ,500 and double valve replacements costing around ,500.

Advanced techniques offer multiple surgical procedures including but not limited to breast augmentation or reduction, facelifts, nose surgery and tummy  tucks. Liposuction in the U.S., Great Britain and in France or Germany can cost nearly ,000 per area of the body, while liposuction on two or more areas may cost as much as ,000. Liposuction in India costs one tenth of what it costs in the United States. In Argentina, the breast lift, augmentation or reduction procedures cost roughly ,500, and even a bit less in exotic locales like Thailand.

Stem Cell Research and Procedures
Today, stem cell research offers potential treatments for the future that may cure many disease processes, enable people with spinal cord injuries to walk again, and perhaps even see an end to cognitive impairment diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.

Stem cell therapies today involve the use of embryonic stem cells, adult stem cell therapy and research, and umbilical cord  or placenta stem cell therapy methodologies. The cost of placenta stem cell therapies in the U.S. in the future are projected to be  ,000-,000 depending on the number of implants, though placenta stem cell treatments in Mexico are approximately ,000. Costs in other locations are competitive.

Dentistry
Traditional dental techniques as well as cosmetic dental procedures are becoming increasingly popular. Some of the most popular dental procedures include but are not limited to dental implants, crowns and bridges.

Travelers to South American destinations may average a 50% to 75% savings for the same procedure. The cost of a crown will vary by the type of crown chosen, but may range between 0 and ,000. In central Europe and Asian dental facilities, crowns average about 5 to 0. Bonding can run between 0 and 0 a tooth.

You can request additional information about Medical Procedures Overseas by calling +1.303.578.0719 or info@placidway.com.

If you are thinking it’s the drug manufacturing that is outsourced, you are wrong. Nor is it the bookkeeping that is outsourced. What is outsourced is the patient himself or rather he chooses to have his treatment done offshore. The driving cause is the high cost of health care in his home country. Or in certain other cases, the long waits before he can get the needed treatment.

So, medical outsourcing or offshore medical which is also commonly known as medical tourism is the practice of seeking health care abroad. But, who provides these outsourcing services?

There are lots of offshore health care providers in the form of hospitals and clinics participating in this business. Some of them can be found on the other side of the border while others may be a few oceans across. Examples include those in India, Singapore, Thailand, Mexico, Turkey, Panama, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, and so on. Some of them give excellent service – even superior to what you can get at home using the latest technology and by world-renowned surgeons – while others may not be as great. To show their commitment towards top quality, many providers also have international accreditations like JCI, JACHO, ISO, etc. Some have strategic alliances with well-known US health care providers like Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Medical International and Johns Hopkins.

International health care providers are able to provide you with high quality treatment at an affordable cost mainly because of low labor cost, low administrative cost, low malpractice cost and low living cost in their country. That’s the same reason why IT companies started outsourcing.

Now the obvious question arises – how do you find the right provider for your needs? The answer is do research. There are lots of resources available – news, articles, blogs, forums, testimonials, etc. Many people find it useful to work with a health tourism facilitator or medical tourism facilitator like Healthbase (http://www.healthbase.com). They are specialized facilitators who carefully screen and partner with international healthcare providers that meet up to the high standards of patients from the US, the UK, Canada, etc. They also help patients with all the logistics involved in getting a surgery abroad.

There are a few other things that you will need to do for a successful experience in getting your surgery overseas. Getting into the details of all of them is beyond the scope of this article. Here are some of them: doing a thorough research on the surgery in question to establish your suitability for it as well as for medical tourism, getting to learn about your medical travel destination, arranging all your medical records and sending them to the international hospital, securing passport and visa, booking tickets, and more. You may want to start here: http://www.healthbase.com/resources/medical-tourism/medical-tourism-information.

Earlier, people would go abroad mostly for elective cosmetic procedures which were not covered by insurances. Today, people outsource their orthopedic procedures as well as cardiac surgeries as well as organ transplants. It’s not just individuals who are interested in this trend to save money. Medical outsourcing has also received attention from health insurance companies who have started offering overseas treatment plans to expand their customer base, and from employers who have included it as a benefit to their employees.

At the time of writing this article, neither Merriam Webster nor Dictionary.com had an entry for “medical outsourcing”. But given the speed with which the trend is spreading, pretty soon they will have to update their dictionaries.

You can learn more about medical outsourcing, the details of the process, international healthcare providers and arrange your surgery by logging on to http://www.healthbase.com. Healthbase.com is a medical tourism facilitator committed to providing low-cost high quality medical travel services to the global medical consumer.

Surgery abroad or medical tourism as the concept is more commonly known has become quite popular recently. It is not limited to cheap dental surgery in Mexico or inexpensive cosmetic surgery in Costa Rica or Panama any more. People are traveling halfway around the world for all sorts of procedures and those include orthopedic surgeries, fertility treatments, and even critical operations like organ transplantation, cancer treatment and cardiac surgeries.

But, is surgery abroad for everyone?

Obviously, overseas surgery is not an option if you are being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance at the time you need the surgery. This is common sense. However, there are many other occasions when you can benefit from obtaining treatment overseas for non-emergency conditions. But, to be able to seek treatment abroad, you should at least be fit enough to travel to your destination by plane or train or whichever mode of transportation you are using.

You can benefit from medical tourism if:

1. You do not have insurance. Unsurprisingly, a large number of medical travelers fall into this category. Not having health insurance can mean prohibitive prices charged by the hospital. It’s no secret that in the US, uninsured or self-pay patients are charged two to three times more for hospital care than those covered by health insurance. As reprehensible a practice as it may be, the patient is the one who has to take the blow. According to one Harvard study, half of personal bankruptcies in the United States are related to medical expenses. Filing for bankruptcy is not a solution, flying for medical tourism is. Medical tourism can save you 50% to 90% of the typical price your US hospital charges.

2. You have limited insurance. Limited insurance could mean high deductibles, high co-payments or high out-of-pocket expenses. Or it may mean that the medical care you need is not covered under your catastrophic insurance plan. In many ways, being underinsured is no better than being uninsured except that you are still paying your monthly insurance premium for either very little or nothing in return.

3. The treatment you are seeking is elective. Most health insurance plans out there do not cover elective surgeries. So even if you have insurance coverage and you know the procedure you need is not elective, it is very easy for your insurer to prove otherwise so they do not have to reimburse you if you went ahead and sought the treatment anyway. This is especially true in the case of many cosmetic and dental procedures.

4. The treatment you are seeking is not available in your country. For example, until some time ago, Birmingham Hip Resurfacing surgery (BHR) was not available in the United States. It was approved by the FDA only recently. So many patients from the US would go to India for the procedure. Patients still prefer to have this surgery in India as the surgeons there are much more experienced in performing BHR than the surgeons in the US and the cost is a lot cheaper there compared to the US.

5. There is a long wait for the treatment you are seeking. This can lead to deterioration in your condition and your quality of life. According to Jill Misangyi, a Canadian who went to India for her spinal decompression surgery to cure her 16-year old back pain, “Under the medicare system in Canada, waiting lists just to see specialists are 6 months to a couple of years, and another couple of years before or if they will do the surgery on you.” Medical tourism is the answer to the problems of many such patients who have spent a lifetime waiting for their turn and are still in the queue.

Once you have established your candidacy for medical tourism you should do a thorough research and planning before setting out on your medical trip abroad.

You can learn more about the growing trend of medical tourism, international healthcare facilities and surgeons and the details of the medical tourism process by logging on to the Healthbase website. Healthbase is a medical tourism facilitator committed to providing low-cost high quality medical travel services to the global medical consumer.

Blue collar workers account for an increasing percentage of people outsourcing their medical needs to the medical tourism industry. Uninsured and underinsured laborers are tired of the rising medical costs and the astronomical costs of insurance coverage in developed countries.

Case after case is being shared about blue collar workers seeking alternatives to the out of control healthcare costs at home. A typical scenario is that of a laborer who suddenly finds himself in need of heart surgery or a knee replacement. The choice for many of these workers is to either do without the surgery, empty out the lifetime savings account, use the retirement account or sell their home. Like millions of others in need of a costly medical procedure, they simply cannot afford it.

In some instances, wait time is also a factor. In countries such as Canada, for those with needs that some of us might perceive to be a priority, there is a waiting list up to a year long. Reportedly, it is the bureaucratic red tape that is often the sole hindrance to timely medical care. A person can literally die waiting for approval for a life saving surgical procedure in a developed country, yet the same procedure can be obtained at a medical tourism destination with little effort.

Medical tourism offers hope to blue collar workers and others who are in need of medical procedures but cannot afford them, cannot wait for them, or do not want to use their retirement accounts to pay for the procedure.

In some instances, it is not the worker who is making the decision to have the procedure done overseas. Medical tourism facilities have started heavy marketing campaigns to Western employers, particularly those who employ the blue collar labor force. More and more, it is the employer who suggests (and in some instances, mandates) having the surgery done in another country.

The bottom line is that the worker in need of a heart bypass can obtain one in another country for ,000 vs. ,000 in the US. He can get a knee replacement for ,000 vs. ,000! It can be scheduled within a couple of weeks in another country, rather than wait a year or more in the US or Canada.

Ten years ago, the concept of medical tourism was new and received bad media coverage in developed countries. It was misunderstood and given bad press. Today, that trend has not only reversed, but medical tourism is being embraced as a viable option for people in need of affordable medical care.

Case studies and statistics verify that medical tourism offers top quality medical care in accredited facilities. A growing number of facilities that offer medical tourism are accredited by the IOS (International Organization of Standardization) and the JCI (Joint Commission International).

Many of the doctors who work in these medical tourism facilities have studied in the developed countries and then have returned to work in their home countries. A person in need of having a medical procedure done can rest assured that he will be cared for by highly qualified staff, with proficient translators standing by!

India has a goal of becoming the choice destination for medical tourists, and they are marketing to the blue collar workers who are need of both medical services and a long overdue vacation. Making the choice to obtain medical services in India means that the average laborer could travel with a companion to a state of the art facility in India, have the procedure done, and recover in a five star resort setting, for about 1/8 of the cost of having the procedure done at home.

If India is not appealing, there are multiple other options. Destinations such as Thailand, Costa Rica, Mexico, Singapore and Panama are also exotic choices for the medical tourist. In many instances, post-surgical recovery can be done in a beach front resort. Once the patient has sufficiently recovered from surgery, there are plenty of shopping and activity options available to the medical tourist.

The concept of going to a third world country to obtain a package of services that supercedes what is available at home is becoming more widely understood and accepted. Just as the economy has become a global economy, so it is with the medical field. It is becoming commonplace practice for a person to travel abroad for all types of medical procedures. We are seeing, in the 21st Century, that we are truly living in a world with no medical borders!

As insurance costs rise at home, and wait time lengthens in the midst of government red tape, blue collar workers are taking advantage of an industry that once belonged to the elite white collar workers. Medical tourism is a viable option for obtaining timely and quality medical services in a vacation paradise, for a fraction of the cost of the same medical procedure in the home country.

As we all know, the cost of medical procedures is rising at a dramatic rate within the United States. Medical malpractice insurance for physicians and surgeons has driven medical costs for consumers through the roof. So, it’s not surprising that Americans are fighting back, and in an unusual way. A growing trend called medical tourism finds more Americans seeking medical help outside of the country. Now, if you’re reading this article, it’s likely that you have at least heard of the concept, though Europeans and Asians have been practicing medical tourism for decades.

Traveling to another country to have a wide variety of procedures done has grown increasingly popular as costs for procedures continue to cause financial hardship and strain on Americans. If you haven’t really seriously considered traveling to another country to have your procedure done, you should. Traveling outside of national borders saves patients thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars on various surgeries and medical procedures. In some cases, choosing to have surgery abroad costs about a tenth of what you’d pay for the same procedure in the U.S.

However, the low cost of these procedures in other countries is not due to a lack of expertise or training, nor facility equipment, but because of the different ways these countries or private practices run their health services departments. International private healthcare systems have price transparencies that are not overburdened by malpractice insurance and pressures from third party payers such as health insurance companies.

People believe that going outside of the United States for surgeries is risky business, but did you know that many of the most technologically advanced medical centers are located outside of the United States? The growing trend of attracting international patients around the world has evened the playing field, so to speak, and patients around the world have more choices when it comes to choosing surgeons and physicians to treat them and their conditions. Especially in the medical field, borders are dissolving.

In addition to lower costs, the concept of medical tourism also offers patients a wider selection of techniques and experiences than many local health care services do. Surgical and medical facilities outside of the United States, including those in Asia, e.g., India, Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia, and North American cross border countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Latin America; and Eastern Block/European countries such as Hungary, Norway, Poland, are increasingly luring medical tourists with the best trained physicians, higher service standards and yes, the opportunity to save money.

For example a heart surgery requiring the replacement of one or more heart valves costs around 0,000 in the United States. The same procedure is performed for under ,000 in India or Malaysia – that cost includes the services of a highly skilled and trained heart specialist, transportation and accommodation fees and a few extra days to enjoy the sites of your planned vacation as well.

Other procedures follow suit. Facelifts can cost ,000 in the U.S. but are available in other global destinations for around 00. Dental bridges costs around 00 in the US but cost only around 0 in India. The list goes on.

Orthopedic surgery is a procedure that is gaining popularity among baby boomers for treatment abroad. Hip or elbow replacement surgery is common for those who have suffered from arthritis or other forms of bone and joint damage. Hip or elbow joint replacement involves removing damaged bone tissue and replacing it with a ball-type joint made of a special metal alloy. Hip resurfacing is not a replacement of the hip joint, but a type of surgery that allows most of the original hip joint to be saved. In this procedure, performed not only in the United States but around the world, the surface of the head of the femur, the part of the upper thighbone that fits into the hip socket, is covered with a plastic shell – type covering. Hip resurfacing is usually suggested for active patients less than 55 years of age.

World-class medical facilities offer not only skilled surgeons for this type of procedure, but also physical therapists to aid in recovery as well as superior patient support capabilities until patient discharge. Everyone demands excellent standards in healthcare, and global medical facilities are also being held to high American and western standards. If you or a loved one is considering medical tourism, take the time to research the subject.

Medical tourism is the wave of the future, and may compel changes within American medical practices. Until then, take advantage of the best the world has to offer in the way of skills, treatments, procedures and healthcare. Make the most of the growing number of healthcare methods in the 21st century and take back control of your own healthcare.

PlacidWay is the health information portal that offers medical vacation planners all the information they need to make informed choices and decisions. Finding information on affordable health centers from around the world, alternative treatments, and wellness programs has never been easier.

Making the right choices relies on knowledge, and PlacidWay offers that and so much more. Visit PlacidWay.com at www.placidway.com for additional information on the topic of medical tourism or health vacation planning.

What does a person usually yearn for after a lifetime of hectic activity – getting married, handling the stresses of work, trying to make ends meet, bringing up children and paving their way to a good future? Obviously, a meticulously planned, comfortable retirement as a culmination of a well lived life, with a haven to call one’s own, in which to put up his feet and enjoy the fruits of his life’s labor.

This, however, is easier said than done, and it does take considerable effort to decide on where to retire, as does the process of getting there. In today’s world, one is spoilt for choice, with myriad options present globally.

For folks who want to spend their retirement far from their homes, the Internet opens up a world of options at the click of a button, with the advantages and disadvantages of each spelt out clearly. Most destinations offer good infrastructure and excellent healthcare facilities, making a dream of retirement at an exotic getaway an affordable and exciting possibility.

Retiring to Warmer Climes

There are many popular retirement destinations the world over. Topping the list are places like Panama, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. After having spent a lifetime in extremely cold climes, older people often opt for places where the climate is moderate and kind to old bones. Panama offers income tax exemptions for senior citizens, along with discounts on everything from entertainment to medical bills. Thailand and Singapore thrive on medical tourism and provide excellent service at relatively low cost. Both the Philippines and Thailand have world class golfing facilities, with the former offering snorkeling and water sports in addition.

Special Programs for Retirees

Malaysia has also become an attractive option with cheap gasoline and labor, affordable housing, an excellent quality of life and low cost of living, all of which should appeal to retirees. The “Malaysia, My Second Home” program for people over 50 is a government scheme providing renewable ten year visas and duty free vehicle imports, along with the right to buy and own property. Costa Rica, Mexico, New Zealand, Belize and Spain are also popular retirement options, with cultures and landscapes that are novel to people from other countries. The cost of living is also comparatively low, and a further advantage is that many retirees have already made their homes there, most of them from similar age groups and cultures. While Mexico is a homely option with a laidback lifestyle in which family values are of paramount importance, Costa Rica tempts one with its balmy mountain air, and Belize offers a formal program called the Retired Persons Incentive Program. Spain, Portugal and Costa Rica have an army of real estate developers and property agents creating great homes at low cost for expatriate retirees.

English is widely spoken in places like Belize, the Philippines, Gibraltar and Malaysia, and hence, these countries are as popular as English speaking countries like Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and British Columbia. New Zealand and South Africa are stunning in their scenic beauty. In the United States, Florida, Texas and Arizona are on top of people’s lists, as the climate is salubrious.

Activities for the Retired

The term ‘retirement’ has now come to mean time to engage in all the activities one wanted when younger, whether fishing, skiing, theatre, social work or camping and finding the right place to be, in order to be able to do the same.

Healthcare Facilities and Tax Breaks for Retirees

Top notch health care is vital to a retired person, and places like Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi are ideal as they have good medical facilities. Alaska, Florida, Washington and Dakota, among others, do not have a state income tax, which is a big draw for retired people. For those looking for recreational activities, Colorado provides mountain sports, rock climbing, hiking, camp fishing, rafting and the like. Safety is also a concern for older people. Cities like New Jersey and New York are especially safe and hence have a larger population of retirees. While South Africa is picturesque, the high crime rate might prove a deterrent, and older people tend to value their security more than ever before.

India as a Retirement Option

India is emerging as a popular choice for retiring NRIs and foreigners. The low costs for healthcare and personalized services are a huge draw. There is a view that outsourcing of geriatric care may be the next outsourcing boom.