Dangers of Foreign Surgery

There is a growing trend among those that can afford it to vacation and have surgical work done at the same time. The work being done can be either cosmetic or medically necessary, but it is still being performed overseas. With many locations offering top quality surgical facilities with a spa environment on a beautiful island or in some sort of beautiful setting, the appeal is understandable.

Foreign surgeries are popular not just for their locations and the opportunity to vacation while recuperating. They are also popular because they frequently offer first-rate medical care and procedures at very low prices. This is extremely appealing to those that can’t afford health care at home, such as the 40 million uninsured Americans, or to those whose procedure isn’t covered by insurance.

While many of the facilities abroad are top notch and have adequate or above average standards for their doctors, facility cleanliness, and even post operative care, some of the places that have been used are cheap because they offer substandard care in some area(s).

The biggest danger of ‘medical tourism’ is the difficulty in judging the quality of the foreign clinic and its medical staff. Because the locations of these hospitals are frequently so far away, it is very difficult to assess the skills of the staff beforehand.

The two biggest problems with surgeries abroad are poor hygiene and poor surgery. Any operation that is performed requires that the site is monitored for infections so that it can be treated immediately. The hospitals of developing nations may not have the necessary staff to monitor all patients adequately.

Contact a Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Lawyer

If you have been injured by a doctor’s malpractice or hospital’s error, contact the Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511.