Medical Tourism

Brussels, Belgium is one of the most popular medical tourism destinations in the West for laparoscopic gastric band surgery, especially if you are from the UK or Europe.

Why is Belgium a popular Lap Band Surgery destination in Europe?

• Huge savings: In the UK, you may have to shell out something like a whopping £ 9,000 - £ 12,000 for the adjustable gastric band, whereas the same procedure can be done in as little as £ 4,000 in Belgium. The huge savings does not come at the cost of quality. Quite the contrary.

• Quality: Belgium has a long standing history as an affordable and high quality weight loss surgery medical centers. True, many countries in the world offer obesity surgery, but not all of them can claim the same level of experience and success rate as Belgium. And laparoscopy, in fact, is one of the areas of expertise of Belgian medical tourism. Wherever possible, Gastric Band or Gastric bypass is done by laparoscopy (unless technically impossible) and as this means a very short stay in hospital, the patients too find this a great choice.

Add to this the fact that Belgian hospitals are sticklers for high hygiene standards and use of latest technology. Recently, The World Markets Research Center put Belgium on top of a list of175 countries on ratings done for medical purposes, one of the ratings being secondary infection or Staph rates. Belgium’s secondary infection rate was found to be on an average less than 0.5% compared with 10% in the UK.

There are many reasons why Belgium has achieved such surgical expertise, one being the quality of training given to its doctors. Belgian doctors are trained for a minimum of seven years; for specialists it is 12 years.

• Follow-up feature: Oftentimes, people hesitate to go for medical treatments abroad as they are concerned about follow-up. However, that need not worry you when it comes to medical tourism in Belgium, as many Belgian doctors do offer follow-up checks through their network in the UK and Ireland. So, check if your doctor or hospital in Belgium offers such a service.

• No need to wait: Anyone who has experienced it will know how traumatizing a wait it can be at the NHS. But why wait, when there’s an easier, quicker option close by? In Belgium, you set the date for the surgery at your convenience, after initial tests are done, and get yourself the band you have longed for. As simple as that.

• It’s pretty much next door: You don’t have to have elaborate travel plans to go to Belgium, with so many options available. You can fly, drive down or take a train. Eurostar offers you quick and convenient train service from London (all tickets from London allow you free onward travel in Belgium). Major European highways like the E-19, E-17, E-40, E-411 and E-313 pass through Belgium. You can also get to Belgium from all over Europe on Eurolines coaches.

• Climate and language: The climate is not too different from that of UK: the summers are a bit hotter and winters, well, a bit colder. Dutch, French, and German are the official languages but a lot of young people do speak English, too. Hence, there is usually no communication problem.

What is adjustable lap gastric band surgery?
The lap band works by decreasing the size of the stomach pouch. This makes people feel full even if they have had a small meal, and thus restricts the individual’s capacity to eat and helps him/her lose weight.

So, as you can see, laparoscopic gastric band surgery in Belgium is one of the popular choices with medical tourists from the UK not only because it is affordable but also because it is very convenient.

Related link:

• Gastric lap band in Mexico

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