I recently wrote an article about my medical misadventures overseas, and that, combined with an experience I had with my father and uncle the last time I was in New Zealand, really got me thinking about the cost and waiting times for medical procedures—especially for people who can’t afford private care or don’t have private medical insurance.
I guess two articles on medical topics could make for a series, but this time I wanted to dig a little deeper into common medical procedures and figure out which countries provide high-quality, affordable, and—just as importantly—timely medical care. My goal was to see if there were any “hubs” where people could potentially have multiple procedures done to drastically improve their quality of life.
In the previous article, I briefly mentioned that my dad was dealing with kidney issues. In New Zealand, replacement kidneys are hard to come by, and the waiting lists are extremely long. While we were talking about this, I started wondering if there might be another option. Where could he go—or more importantly, where could I send him—if the worst-case scenario happened?
Ten minutes on my phone in the doctor’s waiting room later, I discovered that India and South Korea are great options for kidney transplants. Shortly after that, my dad was seen by the doctor, and the topic slipped to the back of my mind.
Fast-forward a week, and I was catching up with my uncle, who’s in his early 80s. He was limping and could barely walk. When I asked him about it, he said his GP had referred him to a specialist for his knee, but the wait to see the specialist would be around four months. On top of that, the GP warned him that the specialist would likely insist he lose 20 kilograms before even putting him on the knee replacement list.
I was floored. How is an 80-something-year-old man supposed to lose 20 kilograms when he can barely walk? That lit a spark in my brain again, and I started looking into joint replacements and medical tourism to see if there might be a better option. Turns out, India is a hub for joint replacement surgeries as well as many other types of medical care.
I brought this up to my uncle and even offered to put him on a plane so we could take a little holiday in India while he got a new knee. He wasn’t having any of it. He was adamant about waiting in New Zealand, which made me really sad. It also made me realise that there must be so many others out there in the same boat—stuck waiting for appointments, surgeries, or treatments because of long queues or insurance issues.
These experiences, and a few others, inspired me to write this article. I hope some of you find it helpful—or, at the very least, that someone you know might benefit from it.
Let’s get into it.
How Geo-Arbitrage Can Help
Geo-arbitrage can significantly lower the overall cost of retirement and accelerate the process, but it also opens doors to medical treatments—whether necessary or elective—that might otherwise be prohibitively expensive or involve long waiting times in your home country. By researching, reviewing, and traveling to countries that provide these procedures, you can access high-quality care, faster treatment, and a significantly lower price point than you might find at home.
Add a week or two for a holiday, and now you’ve not only improved your quality of life through the procedure but also enjoyed a getaway in the process. These are all wins in my book.
Before we continue, here’s a quick disclaimer. While I’ve shared some of my own medical experiences abroad, I’m not a medical professional, and this is not medical advice. I haven’t conducted due diligence on every country or procedure mentioned. Instead, consider the countries and treatments discussed as starting points for your own research.
From here, you can explore options further by reaching out to medical tourism companies, reading reviews of their services, and connecting with expats who live in or have used these services in the area. My primary goal in this article is to open your eyes to the global medical opportunities available and show how you can leverage them to drastically improve your quality of life—often at a much lower cost.
Holiday opportunities
Now that you know where many of these operations or procedures can take place and how much money you can save, why not turn this arbitrage opportunity into a well-deserved holiday?
Need your teeth done? Why not enjoy some time on the beaches of Thailand after getting your pearly whites fixed? Need a knee replacement? Take advantage of India’s affordability and savor some incredible food while you’re there. Or how about correcting your vision in Mexico and then using your new eyes to explore some stunning Aztec ruins?
By leveraging the lower costs associated with high-quality care in other countries, you can transform a life-changing experience into an unforgettable holiday.
In Closing
To summarize, after investigating these common procedures and identifying the best places to access high-quality, affordable, and fast medical care, the standout countries are Thailand, India, Mexico, and Turkey. These nations are leading the way in the medical tourism space, offering excellent options for those whose home country isn’t cutting the mustard.
If you’re in need of medical attention and feeling stuck, start by looking into the closest of these champions to your location. Do your research, take action, and improve the quality of the one life you have.
Cheers
Andy
Pisa
Sources Used:
Teeth Work
- https://medicaltravelmarket.com/news/top-dental-tourism-destinations-worldwide
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathleenpeddicord/2024/07/16/3-dental-tourism-hotspots-where-americans-can-cut-treatment-costs/
- https://dentalmedtravel.com/best-country-for-dental-work/
Lazik Eye Surgery
- https://medicaltravelmarket.com/news/top-dental-tourism-destinations-worldwide
- https://www.magazine.medicaltourism.com/article/best-countries-in-the-world-for-laser-eye-surgery-lasik
Joint Replacement Surgery
- https://www.medicaltourism.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-affordable-joint-replacement-surgery
- https://www.medretreat.com/procedures/popular_procedures/joint_replacement.html
- https://safemedtrip.com/orthopedic-surgery/cost-of-knee-replacement-surgery-in-india.html#:~:text=The%20cost%20of%20a%20single,and%20USD%2025000%20in%20Israel.
- https://www.indicure.com/knee-replacement-surgery-cost-india/
- https://www.medicaltourismco.com/cost-of-knee-replacement-in-usa/
- https://internationalliving.com/medical-tourism-5-spots-for-an-affordable-high-quality-knee-replacement/
Kidney Replacement
- https://www.magazine.medicaltourism.com/article/what-are-the-best-countries-for-kidney-transplant#:~:text=Turkey,experienced%20in%20handling%20transplant%20cases.
- https://www.medicaltourismco.com/renal-transplantation-abroad/
- https://www.medicaltourismco.com/kidney-transplant-in-turkey/
Cancer Treatments
- https://www.medicaltourismco.com/cancer-treatment-abroad/
- https://www.magazine.medicaltourism.com/article/what-are-the-best-countries-for-cancer-treatment