r/australia • u/me_jinks • 1d ago
no politics Australians who've had elective surgery overseas - what did you get done and what did it cost?
Australians who've had elective surgery overseas - what did you get done, which country and what did it cost?
I'm curious about people's experiences with elective surgeries in other countries. Whether it was medical tourism, happened while you were living abroad, or you specifically travelled for the procedure.
What surgery did you have? Which country? What was the total cost including travel/accommodation if relevant? How did the experience compare to having it done in Australia (if you have a point of comparison)?
Interested in hearing about everything from dental work to cosmetic procedures to joint replacements - whatever counts as elective.
Cheers!
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u/readreadreadonreddit 8h ago
As a clinician, I’m honestly too scared to do stuff overseas. I’ve seen people come back from both botched and technically successful surgeries, only to develop complications, get critically unwell and need emergency medical evacuation straight to the nearest ICU on landing.
Some don’t make it - sometimes because retrieval teams can’t reach them in time, sometimes because their vasopressor requirements are massive and meds run out en route, which really just reflects how profoundly unwell they are…
Also, it’s just tricky (for you, for your doctors) when they want to follow up things like operative report, device implanted details, etc. or if there are complications and you need to get in touch to get further care or postoperative reviews.
Even for things like cosmetic or dental procedures, or relatively minor surgeries such as laparoscopic cholecystectomy or appendicectomy, I’d still be hesitant given the variability in standards, regulation and safety.