Pediatric Surgery Abroad

One of the most difficult things a parent can go through is receiving the news that their child must undergo a surgical procedure. Unfortunately, there are countless medical pediatric conditions that may require surgery along with the fact that pediatrics is an extremely delicate medical field, as children's bodies are different from adults and surgeons have a whole other set of considerations when operating on a child.

 

The term pediatric surgery can refer to various medical procedures performed on children, in any organ in the body as a pediatric surgeon will treat children of all ages, from infancy to childhood and adolescents.

 

A pediatric surgeon must have a different knowledge base then a regular surgeon as an infant's or young child's body is physically different then the body of a mature adult. A child's body acts and reacts differently to illnesses as it hasn't reached the end of its development period. As a child is always developing, a pediatric surgeon, in all fields, must know how to treat the condition of today while realizing that the body organ might change tomorrow. This is not an easy task as it usually requires a completely different treatment an adult would receive for the certain problem.

 

In general, many surgeons will prefer to perform minimally invasive endoscopic surgery, with today's technology, over the traditional method of "open surgery" in which it may be necessary to perform various incisions.

 

When a patient's parents decide on surgery, there are a few technical problems that can arise, preventing the child from having the surgery, lack of insurance or long waiting lists among them. If this unfortunate situation occurs, the option of medical tourism could be of assistance as the young patient can have the surgery he or she needs abroad.

 

 

Medical Tourism

Before we take an in depth look at the medical tourism solution for children, let's take a look at the more general question of "What is medical tourism". Medical tourism describes the phenomena in which patients will travel across national borders to undergo various medical treatments and procedures. Some may think that this is a new trend, but this is not the case as it has been documented that patients have been traveling from their home country to undergo treatments elsewhere for centuries.

 

In the past couple of decades we have witnessed a new surge in the business thanks to global travel means improving immensely combined with the fact that the internet has brought people closer together, just a click away from anything. These two factors have turned medical tourism into a logical and desired solution for patients who suddenly can't have their surgery done. This can be for a number of reasons, the main one being the lack of proper medical insurance (or any at all), causing an operation to cost tens of thousands of dollars for the patients with no coverage. Another reason can be long and unacceptable waiting lists for the specific surgery, or it can also be that another country has a better or more advanced medical technology and research in the specific field of surgery and the patient will prefer to travel to that destination.

 

Today, this industry is booming as more and more patients are traveling to countries around the globe with hospitals up to par with American medical standards. Patients may choose to travel abroad for a diagnosing, major surgery, prolong treatments (such as cancer treatments), outpatient surgery and more. This of course also includes different types of pediatric surgery.

 

 

Pediatric Surgery Abroad

A child can be recommended for surgery as a result of traditional healing treatments failing or "surgery" being the primary recommended option for treatment. No matter what the condition is, the patient, along with their parents, can decide to undergo the surgery abroad. It can be pediatric orthopedics, neurosurgery, oncology and hematology, dermatology, ophthalmology and more, basically any pediatric branch of medicine.

 

No matter what the medical condition is, there are many advanced hospitals, clinics and medical centers for children with world renowned pediatric surgeons that will perform the surgery that will treat the specific condition.

 

When a patient or a patient's parent wants to inquire about the possibility of pediatric surgery abroad, they can go over all their medical options on their own, acquiring all information needed, including destination countries, hospitals and recommended doctors, as it is all available on the internet. They also have the option of turning to a professional medical tourism facilitator who can provide the extensive medical research as well as accompany the family every step of the way, providing administrative and moral support.

 

If for example a patient will be traveling to abroad for a pediatric procedure, they will arrive at the hospital with their accompanying parent and will be accepted by a medical professional that will receive the medical history and start preliminary testing and preparing her for surgery. If everything goes as planned, the surgery will be performed within a few days of the arrival followed by recuperation period at a proper recovery facility. Once the medical process is over, the patients are free to enjoy a vacation in the country they are visiting in or return home.

 

So the next time you hear about a child in need of surgery and the family is having trouble setting up the procedure in their own country, bring up the option of Medical Tourism, it may be suitable for the situation.