Hotel 5 stars, modern and luxurious, equipped swimming pool, tourism in Tunisia works in collaboration with travel agencies specialized in aesthetic tourism. Everything is included: the surgeon’s fees, the clinic, the anaesthetist, the hotel with catering except drinks. In Tunisia, there are several dozen of them.
40 to 60% cheaper than in Europe.
All of these agencies promote discounted medical stays at unbeatable rates. These agencies use the tourist argument to attract customers. The rates are lower than in France, the ratio is about double. For each trip, patients are accompanied by a guide from the travel agency. He takes care of them from their arrival until the day of their departure. Depending on the patient’s state of health, excursions are even organised.
A dangerous system depending on the interventions
But on the spot, sometimes the reality is quite different. During convalescence, patients rarely leave their hotel rooms. The CRPCE’s opinion is that this medical business run by travel agencies would pose real problems. French surgeons believe that a system that involves a third party, in this case a tour operator or travel agency, is a system that is dangerous. It is dangerous for the surgeon because he is no longer free to make his own decisions, and it is dangerous for the patient because a surgeon who is not free to make his own decisions can commit medical errors.
On average, clients stay in hospital for 6 days. An agency manager ensures that complications only occur within 24 to 48 hours. In the event of later complications, the client must pay for his plane ticket and return to see his surgeon. Flying during this post-operative period is what worries French doctors. Especially for certain operations such as abdominal plasti because of the anticoagulant taken. There are great risks of phlebitis. It is a blood clot in the veins that can go up into the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism that can be fatal.
In the event of an accident following an operation performed abroad
Requesting repairs is almost impossible. Recourse is very complicated. Whereas in France, the patient is protected. Some patients also complain about the pace at which the operation takes place, they felt that their time for reflection was not respected.
Post-operative follow-up is almost non-existent. Catch-up surgery is often much more difficult than primary surgery. The costs are higher than primary surgery in France. Despite everything, these formulas continue to attract several thousand patients in France every year.
