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Sri Lanka: The Complete Health Destination
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From the Archives
6 travelsrilanka
by
Sa
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Gu
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Medical Tourism
6 travelsrilanka
“A growing number of foreigners are taking advantage of a�ordable, high
quality private healthcare in Sri Lanka, and combining it with the chance to
take a holiday. What better way to prepare for an operation than relaxing for
a few days on a palm-fringed golden beach or waking to the pleasant aroma
of fermenting tea leaves wafting through your hill country bungalow?”
Sri Lanka: The Complete Health Destination
Prime Travel
Sri Lanka’s appeal as a tourist destination is partly
a re!ection of its remarkable variety of attractions.
Beach holidays, cultural packages and eco-tourism
are all on o�er to the discerning traveller. In recent
years, Sri Lanka has also come to stake its claim as
a global health destination. While the proliferation
of Ayurvedic health spas across the country is
testament to the restorative bene"ts of this ancient
holistic system of medicine, Colombo also now
boasts a selection of modern, well equipped
private hospitals o�ering the latest in conventional
medical and surgical therapies.
That Sri Lanka should position itself as a global
health destination is hardly surprising. The island
has long been a centre of physical and spiritual
healing. Travel to the Cultural Triangle and
you will see the ruins of ancient hospitals over
1,000-years-old, along with excavated surgical
instruments that look remarkably similar to
modern-day surgical forceps. Since the 1970s,
Sri Lankan doctors have come to be among the
country’s best-known exports to the West and
virtually all the specialists in Sri Lanka have had at
least part of their postgraduate training abroad,
commonly in the United Kingdom or the United
States.
A growing number of foreigners are taking
advantage of a�ordable, high quality private
healthcare in Sri Lanka, and combining it with P
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the chance to take a holiday. What better way to
prepare for an operation than relaxing for a few
days on a palm-fringed golden beach or waking
to the pleasant aroma of fermenting tea leaves
wafting through your hill country bungalow?
Though the medical tourism industry in Sri Lanka is
still in its early days, a number of private hospitals
in Colombo are well geared to provide services
to international clients. Among the best known
of these include the Apollo Hospital (www.
lankahospitals.com), Asiri Hospital Group (www.
asiri.lk), Durdans Hospital (www.durdans.com),
and Nawaloka Hospital (www.nawaloka.com).
All of these are equipped with state-of-the-art
technology and equipment, and o�er the latest in
diagnostics, medical and surgical services.
While it is possible to establish direct contact with
the hospital of your choice, it is usually preferable
to obtain a direct referral from your own doctor
or to engage the services of a third-party agent,
at least when thinking about elective surgery.
One such agent is Gorgeous Getaways (www.
gorgeousgetaways.com). Based in Melbourne,
Australia, this company specializes in organizing
cosmetic and surgical holidays to a choice of
destinations, including Sri Lanka. However, it also
arranges a range of packages including non-
surgical treatments such as dental treatments and
spa massages. Louise Cogan, Director of Gorgeous
Getaways, says that on average, the costs of a total
package to Sri Lanka including airfares, transfers,
pre- or post-procedure holiday at a luxury resort,
food, hospital stay and all treatment costs, are in the
order of 50% of the costs of the surgical procedure
alone in the West.
Sacha is a 22-year-old New Zealander and mother
of two that last year had breast augmentation and
liposuction at Apollo hospital in Colombo. She was
positively glowing in her endorsement of Sri Lanka
as a choice for her surgery and had no hesitation in
recommending Sri Lanka and the package o�ered
through Gorgeous Getaways. She was also full of
praise for the two plastic surgeons that operated
on her: “Dr Dulip and Dr Thushan are amazing
people. They have a great sense of humour and are
very professional. I met them on the day prior to
my surgery and was left with the impression that I
would be in very capable hands.”
Six months following the procedure, Sacha remains
delighted with the results. She says she chose Sri
Lanka for two main reasons. The "rst was that it was
an exotic destination and sounded more interesting
than Kuala Lumpur. The second was that, having
done extensive research on the internet, she felt
she could expect a good standard of care. She was
not disappointed, saying, “The care that I received at
Apollo hospital did in fact outstrip my expectations”.
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According to Jane Gagen of Apollo, the
most common surgical services provided to
international clients include cosmetic surgery
(breast augmentation, tummy tucks, liposuction,
facelifts), orthopaedic surgery (knee and hip joint
replacements), general surgery (hernia repair,
varicose vein surgery), cardiac surgery (coronary
artery bypass grafts, stenting) and LASIK vision
corrective surgery. Dental procedures are also very
popular. Most patients for cardiac surgery are now
direct referrals from doctors in the United Kingdom,
an area Apollo is looking to expand on following
their appointment of a new head of cardiothoracic
surgery from the United Kingdom.
Many expatriates living in Sri Lanka have long taken
advantage of the high quality, a�ordable, private
health care that is available, so it is not unexpected
that foreign tourists should also discover these
bene"ts. Following neurosurgery for a benign
brain tumour at Asiri Hospital, travelsrilanka’s editor,
Richard Boyle, had nothing but the highest praise
for the standard of care he received. “Having a
brain tumour removed – even a benign one – can
be traumatic, but thanks to the con"dence of the
surgeon, the cheerful and helpful sta�, the pleasant
state of the hospital, and the state-of-the-art
equipment, I had no worries and was discharged
in just "ve days.”
Richard was equally impressed with the care he
was given following major orthopaedic surgery (a
bigliani shoulder implant) late last year at Apollo.
“I had an unfortunate experience at Apollo several
years back, but I was delighted to "nd that the
hospital is now totally di�erent, mainly due to
the Sri Lankan sta�, that muted the complicated,
painful but exactly executed surgery in the best
of conditions.” He should know – his father was a
Harley Street specialist and the head of a leading
London medical institute.
Medical tourism is not without its critics, however,
and many professional organizations in the
West advise against the idea of travelling abroad
for surgery. While concerns about long-term
follow-up and the development of possible
complications during travel home are legitimate,
do not be deterred by any perceived shortcomings
of the healthcare on o�er. The private hospitals
in Colombo that cater to international clients are
modern, well equipped and o�er a standard of care
at least comparable to what you will "nd in the
West. The specialists they employ are highly skilled
and invariably have had their postgraduate training
abroad. Nursing sta� are also highly trained, and as
Richard Boyle has previously remarked, “there is
nothing more pleasant than a typically gentle and
warm-hearted Sri Lankan in a nurse’s uniform”.
Nevertheless, if you are thinking about coming
to Sri Lanka for that knee replacement or getting
that tummy tuck, it is worth doing some thorough
research beforehand. Find out as much about the
actual procedure as possible, the quali"cations
and accreditations of the doctors and the hospital
itself. Make sure you address all of your questions
and concerns beforehand and get a "rm estimate
of costs and scheduling. Of particular importance
is the length of stay. Ideally, this should be long
enough to ensure that there are no complications
and that air travel back home is safe.
While for the moment Colombo remains the hub
of Sri Lanka’s medical tourism potential, a number
of impressive health facilities have opened in the
other major urban centres. I recently had a full dental
check-up, scaling and polish at a very modern private
dental clinic in Kandy – all for less than the cost of a
haircut in the West! The advent of medical tourism
in Sri Lanka is an exciting development and one that
holds tremendous promise for growth in the future.
Together with the island’s reputation for some of the
world’s "nest ayruvedic health spas, yoga centres
and meditation retreats, Sri Lanka now boasts a full
range of the latest conventional medical and surgical
treatments. O�ering healing for the mind, body and
soul, Sri Lanka is truly on its way to becoming the
complete health destination. *
For more information, see the Guide to Medical
Tourism in Sri Lanka at www.srilanka-medical.
com/medical-tourism.
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