Treatment abroad: Belgium 

Belgium, renowned for its high-quality healthcare system, offers a compelling destination for medical tourism with its expertise in fields such as cardiology, oncology, and orthopaedics, attracting patients seeking top-notch care in a picturesque European setting.

Belgium is a small country in northern Europe but its excellent healthcare system and good international travel links make this a popular destination for medical tourists.

Why consider Belgium for medical tourism?

Offering some of the best medical treatment in the West, an excellent reputation in its hospitals and clinics and with many of its doctors fluent in English Belgium is a top choice for surgery abroad.

The high level of surgical expertise evolves from many years of training – all doctors are trained for a minimum of seven years and specialists for 12 years and the high quality health care system is renowned world-over. For example Belgium was top of the list for best heart treatment in Europe according to a European Heart Journal analysis of 24 European countries.

Belgium has a large number of private hospitals and the independent status of its hospitals means that revenues and profit are ploughed back into new equipment and technology. In a recent study by The World Markets Research Centre (a leading provider of independent business and industry intelligence) Belgium ranked top for medical purposes out of 175 countries, not least because secondary infection rates average less than 1%, lower than many other countries in Europe. Hygiene and post operative care are first rate and international statistics show cases of MRSA in Belgium are among the lowest in the world.

Reasons to choose Belgium

High quality of care at low prices

Top of the list for best heart treatment in Europe

Cases of MRSA in Belgium are among the lowest in the world

Blends influences from France, Italy and Germany

Within easy reach of most European cities

Famous for its beer and chocolate

The healthcare system and hospital facilities in Belgium

Offering some of the best medical treatment in the West, an excellent reputation in its hospitals and clinics and with many of its doctors fluent in English, Belgium is a top choice for cosmetic surgery abroad. The high level of cosmetic and plastic surgical expertise evolves from many years of training – all doctors are trained for a minimum of seven years and specialists for 12 years and the high quality health care system is renowned world-over. For example Belgium was top of the list for best heart treatment in Europe according to a European Heart Journal analysis of 24 European countries.

Belgium has a large number of private hospitals and the independent status of its hospitals means that revenues and profit are ploughed back into new equipment and technology. In a recent study by The World Markets Research Centre (a leading provider of independent business and industry intelligence) Belgium ranked top for medical purposes out of 175 countries, not least because secondary infection rates average less than 0.5% compared with around 10% in the UK, and in some places increasing. Hygiene and post operative care are first rate and international statistics show cases of MRSA are non-existent in Belgium.

Flexibility in the hospital infrastructure means that patients are seen almost immediately and more often than not after cosmetic surgery, for example, patients can leave the clinic on the same day.

Prices are far more competitive in Belgium. A tummy tuck in Belgium costs from €4,200 and a total hip replacement is possible for €10,400, around six times less than the going rate in the USA.

Getting to/from and around Belgium couldn’t be easier with a fast convenient Eurostar train service from London, good road and rail links with other parts of Europe and easy access to international flights at Schiphol, Brussels, Paris and London. Once here, there is an easy-to-navigate public transport network. The climate typically northern European, with warm summers and cool winter.

With top class care, cleanliness, efficiency and affordable cost Belgium really is a very viable option for surgery abroad.

Travel and accommodation in Belgium

Flights to Belgium

If you are considering going to Belgium for plastic or cosmetic surgery, getting to Brussels couldn’t be easier. Zaventem is Brussels’ international airport located nine miles north east of the capital with good rail/road connections into the city. See www.brusselsairport.be for more information or call 0032 2 753 77 53. Flights come into Brussels from a huge number of destinations, and you also have the option of flying into Schiphol, Heathrow or Gatwick and travelling to Brussels by road or rail

If you are coming from Heathrow or Gatwick, Eurostar, the high speed train service departs from London Waterloo via Ashford and Lille nine times a day so in just over two hours you can be slap bang in the centre of Brussels. Visit www.eurostar.com for bookings and information. From Brussels Gare du Midi you can connect with Belgian Railway for travel to other regions.

Transport within Belgium

There is an excellent and cheap public transport system in Belgium, comprising metro, rail, buses and trams and the SNCB is an efficient and cheap rail system. The three mainline stations in Brussels (Gare Centrale, Gare du Nord and Gare du Midi) are all linked and an airport city express train service runs four times an hour from 6am to midnight to all three stations for around €2.60. Alternatively, bus number 12 leaves the airport three times an hour between 8am and 7pm, costing €5, while taxis from Zaventem to central Brussels cost approximately €45. Car hire is available in the arrivals hall though the driving experience in Brussels can be somewhat hair-raising with the give-way-on-the-right rule.

Ferries

If you are coming from the UK or you have travelled to Gatwick or Heathrow from anywhere in the world, you can also opt to take the sea route to mainland Europe and Belgium. The high speed ferries now make sailing over to Belgium slightly more appealing – you can now get to Oostende from Dover in two hours; get more information on Hoverspeed or P&O North Sea ferries which operate from Hull to Zeebrugge.

Accommodation in Belgium

As far as accommodation goes the average rate for a double room in a three star hotel in Brussels or the Flanders region start at around €50. Bear in mind that mid week is more expensive than weekends and July/August are the busiest and most expensive months. In the Wallonia region a double room in a three star hotel costs from €60 to €95 and a four star hotel between €100 and €160. The average rate for four star hotels varies from €85 to €400 in Brussels and between €80 and €160 in the Wallonia region.

If you want to stay in a really hip hotel in Brussels then look no further than Hotel Amigo, a flashy contemporary establishment which is currently the talk of the town and popular with pop stars and politicians alike, but pricey at €600 for a double room (3 rue de l’Amigo, Lower Town). There are many other, more moderately priced hotels around too, with different styles to suit your taste.

About Belgium: an introduction for medical tourists

Belgium may not be the first country that springs to mind as a tourist destination, but when you dig a little deeper, you’ll soon see that in fact it is a country not to be missed. All that is good about Europe is concentrated in this compact country. Travelling about in Belgium is easy nothing is too far from anything else and the country has some of the continent’s finest historic cities.

Think Belgium and you probably think of frothy beer and rich chocolate, and with over 650 different beers and thousands of chocolatiers, you certainly won’t’ be disappointed when you visit. What you might not expect is the dramatic contrasts of Belgian life, where medieval architecture plays host to modern surrealist art, and a typically laid-back European caf culture continues in the shadow of imposing business-like tower blocks.

While less famous than France for their cuisine, Belgian restaurants can more than hold their own when it comes to fine dining, blending influences of France and Italy with the generous portions and warm welcome of the Germans.

Often the focus of world media attention, the Belgium capital, Brussels, is home to the European Union and NATO, taking some of the biggest decisions imaginable. Yet this unique city also plays host to one of Europe’s most enchanting squares, the Grand-Place, a buzzing plaza flanked by stunning medieval buildings and quaint side streets packed with cafes and intriguing shops.

The diamond capital of the world, Antwerp is a dazzling sight, while Bruges has so many exquisite medieval buildings that the whole city has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to the city’s famous Belfry tower is a must to take in the sheer beauty of this remarkable city.

Belgium is almost two countries in one, with the Dutch speaking Flemmish in the north and the French-speaking Walloons in the south with a German-speaking area in Wallonia for good measure. A long period of instability in terms of government between 2007 and 2011, during which the country was without a government for 589 days, has now ended. A new Prime Minister, Elio Di Rupo took the helm at the end of 2011. Talk of dividing the country along its linguistic and cultural boundaries still rumbles on but, for the moment, Belgium is still Belgium.

Brussels, sits across the cultural divide, with most inhabitants of the capital bi-lingual and far more multicultural than their regional counterparts. This is partly due to the city’s role as the headquarters of key international organizations and partly due to its ease of access to mainland Europe and the rest of the world. It is just 160 km from the international airport in Schiphol (Amsterdam) and just a couple hours from London (UK) by Eurostar, giving access to the equally busy airports at Heathrow and Gatwick.

Belgium has a great deal to offer. One of Europe’s best kept secrets, this small European country will surprise and delight you at every turn.

Cosmetic surgery in Belgium: More about the country

Located at the crossroads of Western Europe between France and Holland Belgium is an intriguing country boasting stunning architecture and fabulous cuisine.Famous for its strong dark beers (Belgium produces more beer than any other country) mouth-watering chocolate, Agatha Christie’s shrewd detective, Hercule Poirot and the comic strip character, Tintin, there is much to see and do in this fascinating country. Take a cruise on the network of ancient canals in Bruges, treat yourself to a delicious waffle snack on a beach in Oostende, dine on mussels and fries, browse in a fine arts museum or learn about the county’s art for chocolate-making at Brussels’ Muse Cacao.

The capital, Brussels, is a lively cosmopolitan city and the HQ of the European Union (EU) and NATO as well as a whole host of international trade and finance companies.It may be a governmental town but Brussels has plenty more going for it. In 1893 and the 1910’s the city was the scene of an architectural revolution when a bold new style, the Art Nouveau movement, came into place which spread to Paris, Barcelona and Glasgow. The Lower Town is the spiritual heart of Brussels and split into three; Grand’ Place, the old medieval area, St-Gry and Ste-Catherine, where all the hip bars, restaurants and designer shops are located and Marolles, which is known as the working class area.

Soak up the city’s cosmopolitan atmosphere taking in its beautiful Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque buildings then dine in one of the many Michelin-starred restaurants (Brussels rivals Paris on the Michelin-starred restaurants quota) before taking a wander in the Parc de Laeken which houses the Atomium and several palaces. Finish off your day with a Belgian beer on a terrace of one of the city’s many bars.

In the north, Flanders (the Dutch speaking region) is a flatland criss-crossed by canals, with medieval art cities, Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent. The beautiful medieval city of Bruges is known as the ‘Venice’ of the North and one of the most picturesque cities in Europe. In the French speaking area in the south, Wallonia, you’ll find the rolling hills of the Ardennes, countless castles, and the cities of Liege, Namur, and Tournai and with more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world you can enjoy acquainting yourself with Belgium’s heritage.

With a population of around 10 million Belgium is a multicultural and multilingual country with three official languages (French, Flemish and German), but English, dubbed the fourth ‘unofficial’ language is also widely spoken. The Belgians don’t take themselves too seriously and are typically warm and welcoming people, all the more reason to combine a trip to this fascinating country with your overseas healthcare.