A BRITISH retiree who underwent hip replacement surgeries in both the UK and Spain said his experience at a Valencia hospital won ‘hands down.’
Writing for The Telegraph, 80-year-old Keith Parsons said his Spanish treatment package was about £1,000 cheaper than private care in the UK.
Yet it included 12 days of rehabilitation, accommodation, and meals at a four-star hotel on the Mediterranean.
A former BBC World Service producer, Parsons said he decided to have his second surgery abroad after the first one in the UK set him back nearly £13,000, with rehab consisting only of a ‘slow shuffle up and down a dreary hospital corridor with a physio.’
“[In Spain,] I was lounging by a pool in Denia, just days after my op in Valencia, soaking up the sun and chatting to fellow guests, a schedule of restorative massages and exercise sessions ahead of me,” he wrote.
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“I felt like I was on holiday, rather than fresh out of hospital following major surgery.”
Parsons, who lives in Worcestershire with his wife Avril, said he found out he needed his first hip replacement around May 2021, when NHS waiting lists stretched up to two years.
He then chose to go private, forking out £12,500 plus a £400 consultation fee.
The surgery itself went well, Parsons said. But aside from the depressing rehab sessions, other problems during the follow-up included only a couple of outpatient appointments and an infection in his incision wound.
Three years later, an MRI scan revealed that his other hip had started to deteriorate.
In the meantime, however, private care costs in the UK had soared to between £15,000 and £20,000.
“I didn’t even consider waiting for the NHS,” he wrote. “I’d read too much about the staggeringly long waiting lists.”
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He then came across TailorDoc, a medical tourism company offering minimally invasive surgery with a highly experienced orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Fernando Corbi, along with 12 days of rehabilitation, including accommodation and meals at a four-star hotel.
The price was £11,400, including flights.
Parsons said the surgery took place the day after he landed, and three days later he was driven to his hotel in the resort town of Denia, a 90-minute drive from Valencia city.
“This was where Spain wins hands down,” he said.
“For the next 12 days, I had structured daily physio, massage, supervised gym sessions and tailored rehabilitation exercises.
“Many of the other patients were British and Irish, so there was a sense of camaraderie. We’d walk around the grounds or have a beer by the pool.”
He added: “My overall verdict? If I had a third hip, I’d go abroad again without hesitation.”
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