If you are in need of medical attention, or simply want a routine health screening and don’t want to pay the high fees (or put up with weeks of waiting for an appointment) in your home country, there is a tropical remedy: do it while on holiday in Sri Lanka.
Imagine returning home after a holiday in Sri Lanka to be told by friends and family how well you are looking. For a growing number of visitors to Sri Lanka, that’s not just because of a relaxing holiday, but also because the visitor has experienced the splendid medical services available here.
Medical, or health, tourism is the travel of people away from their home country to another country to obtain medical treatment, whether it’s a full body screening, dental treatment, plastic surgery or a major operation. Since recuperation and convalescence is often required after surgery, Sri Lanka is ideal because of the wonderful places to stay and relax, in addition to the highly skilled and professional medical care available here.
Sri Lankan culture has a long tradition of massage and wellness techniques. The country has been renowned for its Ayurveda therapies since ancient times and there is evidence of an ancient, pre-Christian hospital at Mihintale. Many Sri Lankan kings were recognised as physicians. With its history of care coupled with the skill of today’s modern medical practitioners, Sri Lanka is a natural place to consider when planning a health check up or even extensive treatment.
Health tourism and Wellness tourism
Medical tourism in Sri Lanka is split into two categories: health tourism and wellness tourism. Health tourism refers to clients with medical conditions who travel to experience health-restoring therapies. People who come on a wellness visits are generally healthy and seek therapies to maintain their well-being. For them, Ayurveda and Spa Treatments, with diet and detoxification regimes, are available, fortunately to suit every budget.
Thousands of visitors to Sri Lanka have already discovered that combining a holiday with a form of health treatment is the perfect way to recover health and well-being and to rejuvenate, invigorate and heal.
In Sri Lanka there are medical spa resorts and wellness retreats that combine Eastern practices, like meditation, with Western medical techniques to provide a variety of treatments for either relaxation or rehabilitation in a conducive and well-tended environment.
World class medical facilities at private hospitals
More crucial for those in poor health, or who want to check on their condition, Sri Lanka’s world class medical facilities at private hospitals here are not only open to tourists but also cost a fraction of what similar treatment would cost in the USA or even in Singapore and Bangkok (both popular Asian medical tourist destinations).
There is no lowering of standard in the medical treatment in Sri Lanka. In fact, treatment by surgeons, specialists and doctors in Sri Lanka can be better than in your home country.
If you are looking for a medical check up, cosmetic surgery, dermatology, dental work, orthopaedic or cardiovascular surgery, Sri Lanka is the place. There are some 20 ultra-modern, accredited private hospitals where the emphasis is on medical services that incorporate high levels of trust, safety, efficiency and effective, successful outcomes.
Medical personnel are some of the best trained in the world, with many world-class physicians in practice here. Dental treatment is one of the most popular medical programmes available for tourists with practitioners holding speciality post graduate degrees and being highly experienced.
Private hospitals operate to the highest medical standards with specialists in every discipline assisted by trained, caring nurses, placing great emphasis on diagnosing patient conditions correctly and subsequently treating them efficiently and successfully. Those hospitals have the full range of advanced medical equipment to ensure effective patient diagnosis and treatment.
There are top specialists in the major accredited hospitals covering cardiac care, ear nose and throat, cancer diagnosis and treatment, osteopathy, spinal treatment, liver and gastro-intestinal treatment and infertility consultation.
A health check up
A health check up is a preventive procedure which ought to be taken every five years for those under 40 years of age, and every year for those over the age of 40. A holiday in Sri Lanka is the perfect opportunity to have that long-delayed check up. The procedure takes a day and the consultant discusses the results with the patient, leaving the patient to decide what to do.
Sri Lanka also offers a wide variety of cosmetic procedures for both men and women. Implants, reductions and lifts are performed and botox injections, facelifts and eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty (nose jobs), abdominoplasty (tummy tucks), hair transplants and liposuction, together with chin augmentation, lip augmentation and ear pinning. Dermatology is well developed too.
Treatments most commonly sought by medical tourists under these programmes include Botox cellulite treatment, dermabrasion (skin refreshing) chemical peel, laser skin resurfacing, facial revival and nourishment, blemish removal, as well as anti-ageing face-lifting.
No wonder friends will say how well you look after your medical holiday in Sri Lanka!
Fees are lower than in other countries
Fees are lower than in other countries, not because the expertise is less (it isn’t) but because the general cost of living is less, and foreign currency yields generous amounts of rupees as foreign exchange rates increase. In addition, the time and care taken by medical professionals towards their patients stems from the Sri Lanka tradition of concern for the health and well-being of visitors. They really do care.
When planning a holiday in Sri Lanka combined with a health screening, treatment, an operation or dedicated Ayurveda or spa therapy, allow plenty of time. You owe it to yourself to relax and recover after treatment so you can enjoy full benefits from your health holiday.
If you are reading this while you are in Sri Lanka, you have the opportunity to visit the various hospitals yourself for a preliminary consultation. You can also check the websites of Sri Lanka’s private hospitals to see what treatments they offer. There are tour operators, too, that specialise in medical tourism and these will put you in touch with the best specialists for your needs.
Good health!
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