A growing number of UK patients are choosing to travel abroad for dental treatments due to significantly lower costs, shorter wait times, as well as the likely influence of social media. However, there remains a need to regulate the medical tourism industry to protect patients from failed or unsafe procedures and ensure the provision of quality care.
Given the plethora of risks of harmful dental trends and practices, Longevita’s founder and CEO, Kagan Seymenoglu, has proposed several policy safeguards for UK patients seeking treatments abroad.
Setting Up an Independent Regulatory Body — The establishment of the UK Medical Tourism Accreditation Association (UKMTAA) is proposed for the regulation, accreditation and monitoring of international healthcare providers offering treatments to patients within the UK. As well as promoting accountability among international providers, it will benefit patients in the following ways:
- Provide access to trustworthy providers so that patients can make better-informed choices.
- Provide patients with a platform to report the provision of poor quality care, breaches in safety protocols and contractual violations.
Introducing Mandatory Medical Tourism Insurance — Before patients travel abroad for their medical treatment, they should get coverage of specialist medical tourism insurance. This will help UK patients by:
- Alleviating financial burden from them in the event of a botched surgery.
- Providing them coverage for aftercare, risks associated with the surgery, as well as repatriation in case of emergency.
Availability of Mandatory Aftercare Support within the UK — Overseas healthcare providers must coordinate with licensed UK-based aftercare providers to avoid delayed complications and expensive emergency interventions. This measure will allow for:
- Safe and timely follow-up care for patients
- Improved patient safety
Integrity and Accountability in Marketing Practices — Marketing materials of overseas healthcare providers must display UKMTAA’s logo and registration number to indicate compliance with healthcare standards in the UK, in addition to its accreditation. Such a measure will benefit patients by:
- Making it easier for them to find trustworthy providers
- Reducing the likelihood of seeking NHS treatment for corrective procedures
Recommendations also include disclosing risks associated with a treatment in medical tourism marketing. Additionally, misleading advertising is proposed to be curbed through legal accountability and financial penalties.
Cutting it fine Regulating Medical Tourism for UK Patients
By Kagan Seymenoglu. CEO, Longevita
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