Norway flights give medical tourism wings

A group of Norwegian doctors arrive in Edinburgh tomorrow to woo medical tourists from Scotland with the prospect of no waiting times and the lowest MRSA infection rate in Europe.

The staff, from a private clinic in the south-western coastal town of Haugesund, hope to capitalise on yesterday's launch of a twice-weekly route from the Scottish capital by no-frills airline Ryanair.

It is believed to be the first Norwegian clinic to target Scotland in the fast-growing world of medical tourism.

The number of British people travelling abroad for treatment is thought to have doubled to 100,000 since 2005 and may reach 150,000 this year, with total spending topping 200 million. Last year, interest in the subject led to Britain's first health tourism show in London.

Norway is a relative newcomer to the market, accounting for fewer than 1 per cent of visits from Britain, according to a survey last year by the Treatment Abroad website. Hungary accounted for the lion's share – 45 per cent – followed by Cyprus with 11 per cent and six per cent for India.

Medical tourists are most likely to be in their 50s, with dental treatment and cosmetic surgery the most popular procedures, and lower costs the predominant incentive.

However, infertility treatment is expected to be the most popular of a range of services offered by the Haugesund clinic, which also include eye operations and hip replacements.

Norway has traditionally been regarded by many Scots as too expensive to visit, but the Scanhealth Scandinavia clinic claims its charges are around half those of private clinics in the UK.

It has already treated hundreds of English patients over the past four years by flying them in on Ryanair's Stansted-Haugesund route, the town's only direct link from Britain. They account for one-third of the clinic's business.

Staff hope to repeat their success in Scotland, while also offering stunning scenery, such as the dramatic, fjord-indented coastline.

Scanhealth comprises a partnership of a private hospital, radiology centre and infertility clinic in the town

Kjell Gunnar Gundersen, one of the clinic's doctors, said: "Treating British patients is a major part of what we do – it is a very important market for the partnership.

"We have not been able to figure out what Scottish patients' potential needs will be, but based on our experience from England, we think the infertility clinic will be the most popular.

"Around half of our British patients come over for our infertility clinic. They are young, mobile and more or less desperate to get treatment."

Gundersen said that despite Norway's reputation for high prices, clinics could still offer cheaper rates than in the UK.

He said this was because of the absence of a huge wages differential, with bar staff being paid more than in the UK – hence higher beer prices – but doctors paid proportionately less.

Gundersen, an eye surgeon who performs more than 1,500 operations a year, said a cataract operation would cost 1,000, around half the cost in a UK clinic. The price covers everything apart from travel.

He said the low MRSA infection rate had prompted great interest from British patients, which he attributed to the lesser use of antibiotics in Norway.

The Haugesund region is known as the "homeland of the Viking kings" and Norway's birthplace. Harald Fairhair, who became the first king of Norway in the 9th century, lived near the town of 33,000.

Keith Pollard, of Treatment Abroad, said: "Scanhealth were the first Scandinavian entrants to the growing market for medical tourism in the UK. Savings of up to 30 per cent on orthopaedic surgery and CT/MRI scans have attracted patients from the London area through the Stansted air route.

"One factor attracting patients has been the low MRSA rates in the Nordic countries – less than 1 per cent of Staph. aureus infections are resistant, compared with 30-60 per cent in most European countries and the USA."

The British Medical Association advised patients to do their homework before arranging treatment overseas and not decide solely on cost.

Dr Jane Lolley, deputy chairman of its Scottish consultants committee, said: "Before travelling abroad for treatment, patients should consider all aspects of the service on offer and not base their decision on price alone. Any surgical procedure carries a level of risk and patients should be aware of any potential complications that could arise.

"It is also important that patients find out about the hospital they are going to. Is the doctor qualified, is the centre regulated, what is the success rate for procedures and what happens if things go wrong?"