8-Jul-2008
The state of Goa in India is becoming a major medical tourism destination, both among foreign patients and Bollywood hopefuls who want to keep their surgery a secret, reports reveal.
According to hospitals in the region, local Goans account for just five per cent of cosmetic surgery patients, with the vast majority coming from overseas.
Dr Suresh Dubhashi of Vintage hospital, Panaji, told the Times of India: "[For] those who want to keep their cosmetic surgery a secret, Goa is an ideal place. People come here on a holiday, get themselves admitted in a hospital and get the cosmetic surgery done. They leave as a changed person."
The majority of overseas patients come from the US and the UK, where patients are becoming increasingly frustrated with waiting lists, a lack of treatment availability and the risk of catching superbugs such as MRSA in NHS hospitals.
Treatments also tend to be significantly cheaper in Indian hospitals, with a facelift costing less than a third of the typical price quoted in the UK and botox treatment costing a mere fraction of the UK price.