Medical Value Travel, Australia-Style
Australians Collecting on Medical Value Travel
Medical tourism, also known as medical value travel, is making its way, not only into the third world, but also into other westernized countries like Australia. The Aussies have appointed Brooke Stevenson to promote Australian cosmetic surgery to Americans seeking breast enlargement surgeries. With plastic surgery financing becoming more expensive in the U.S., medical value travel is increasingly popular, even in the most unlikely places. "What I want to do is advertise, and market Australia, and also the great surgeons that are out here. If we get a small percentage, it would probably add one third to our operating lists all around Australia," Brooke says.
Medical Value Travel and Cosmetic Surgery
It is good to know that the patients aren’t the only ones concerned with the safety of healthcare obtained during medical value travel. Peter Haerstch, a cosmetic surgery professor in Sydney warns, “we have to ensure that those who are coming here are being dealt with by competent surgeons, so you don't end up with the situation where the unscrupulous are performing the unsavory on the unsuspecting.” He is convinced however, that cosmetic surgery in Australia is a wiser choice than flying to Thailand for breast implants, which many Australian women seem to be doing to save themselves money on the heavy local costs of plastic surgery financing. "There's no doubt that our facilities, being accredited the way they are, would be the equal of any that I've certainly seen in America," says Peter.
The exchange rate from the U.S. Dollar to the Aussie Dollar makes plastic surgery financing more appealing in Australia. For the price of breast implantation in the U.S., women can receive the same procedure, plus two full weeks of toasting themselves in the Australian outback.
Source: Gavin Alder, “Aussie Breast Enlargement Holidays,” Yahoo News, November 11, 2006
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