South Africa has world class healthcare facilities and skilled healthcare professionals capable of persuading foreign patients. The country has become one of the most favourite destination for medical tourism. Cost effective quality care and with exotic vacation destinations attaches value to the healthcare system of South Africa. Country’s medical excellence was recognised when world’s first heart transplant was successfully conducted in Cape Town, Africa.
South Africa has seized lead over other African countries in medical tourism. The country has become the minor hub along with countries like India, Singapore and Thailand for medical tourism. South Africa offers broad range of low-cost treatments, professional setup and high-end quality care that delivers the country a competitive advantage. Modern private clinics in South Africa employ most recent technologies combined with skilled technical staff. It is mandatory for surgeons to undergo the 12-year training program before they qualify as a surgeon.
Private healthcare sector of South Africa is underutilised as it caters only 16% of country’s total population. This is taken as advantage by medical tourists, as the waiting time for the surgery is reduced. Additionally, psychology of getting maximum attention of the medical professionals also plays role. Efficient network of pharmacies all across the country and catering emergency services in case of emergency imparts added advantage.
A substantial number of medical tourists are engaged from other African nations particularly for Infertility treatments. Medical tourists from countries like US, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, other parts of Europe and others. Medical tourists visit Africa for cosmetic surgical procedures as well as for infertility treatment, breast enlargement, cosmetic dentistry and others. Affordability of the procedures or surgeries attracts enormous pool of medical tourists.
South African healthcare offers more than just medicine to medical tourists. ‘Surgeon and safari’ packages are a combination of affordable quality care with thrilling 5-star accommodation, recovery program in a spa or resort and a safari tour, a complete package at an attractive price. This new angle has worked effectively, and patients chose to stay longer with nature that assist them to recover physically and mentally.
Medical Tourism Board of South Africa has carefully documented record of the licensed and reputed health care professionals, that have the excellent track record of their core expertise.
‘Surgeon safari,’ the package offers a unique advantage of having one service provider catering one stop solution for all the queries. Visitors undergo elective medical procedures and then visit numerous destinations post procedure. One stop solution approach aids them check the net cost of the medical tour.
Speaking of therapy costs, Breast augmentation cost in UK is almost around $8,000 and in US the cost of same therapy is around $10,000. If the procedure is performed in South Africa the cost rests not more than $5,000. Botox or face lift procedure costs around $15,000 in US whereas, the cost in South Africa is around $6,000-6,500.
Knee replacement surgery in South Africa is executed at the exact half-price of the united states. In US the procedure costs around $50,000 whereas in South Africa it costs around $25,000.
Quality care compiled with cost-effective procedures and feels good atmosphere is taking South Africa top of the game!
Hospitals
Some of the world-class multispecialty hospitals in South Africa are:
Most of these hospitals have effectively met the below quality parameters:
Providing world-class treatment, the hospitals comply with strict healthcare laws and also adhere to medical protocols and international standards to ensure quality care. The hospitals have world-class doctors and top-notch infrastructure and provide a wide range of facilities to meet the needs of patients.
In South Africa, the healthcare system is bound to follow standards set by the Joint Commission International (JCI) and Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA). COHSASA develops and evaluates standards in all areas and departments of a healthcare facility in order to make sure that integrated and coordinated care is provided. The SafeCare program launched by COHSASA, JCI, and SafeCare Foundation ensures the implementation of internationally recognized standards to improve health care delivery. Hospitals and clinics that initially and meet standards are awarded two-year accreditations and as the journey in excellence continues, awards of longer duration are given.
A large number of medical tourists visit South Africa every year due to low-cost treatment and modern infrastructure. Medical tourists prefer South Africa for treatment due to many other reasons like world-class facilities provided by hospitals, advanced technology, global exposure of doctors, and accredited hospitals. South Africa’s recent advancement in stem cell therapy has made it one of the most preferred countries for seeking advanced medical treatment. The hospitals in South Africa aim to destress your medical holiday by dealing with all of the organization and administrative tasks, as well as provide intensive care and assistance on a 24/7 basis.
The highly skilled and well-qualified doctors in South Africa ensure world-class treatment through their deep expertise and subject knowledge. Many doctors in South Africa receive their training in foreign countries like Australia and Cuba which provide them global exposure and make them more competent in handling cases with high precision and accuracy. Using a holistic approach, doctors have received worldwide recognition for delivering excellent results in dental procedures and fertility treatments. South Africa has world-class doctors due to several reasons like their education at reputed colleges, adherence to global standards, patient-centric approach, and incorporation of the human touch in treatment.
A person can apply for a medical visa to South Africa for a period of 90 days. The High Commission helps one decide for how long a visa can be extended. People need to apply for a temporary residency permit in case they have to stay in the country for more than three months. The validity of a visa starts the day it is granted by the High Commission and not on the date of departure. Also, visa applications will not be accepted more than 30 days prior to departure. You need to produce the below documents to apply for a medical visa:
South Africa is known to offer some procedures with high success rates, such as total knee replacement, meniscus repairs, hip replacement, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Some other procedures which have gained popularity in South Africa are cosmetic surgery and infertility treatment. Egg donation program is available in South Africa and it is even possible to select your donor, as well as gives you the option of having a surgical or non-surgical procedure, all with very low waiting times. The reasons for the popularity of these procedures are affordable treatment cost, speedy recovery, use of advanced technology, and highly trained doctors.
Top destinations for medical tourism in South Africa are Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban. Cape Town is a world-class tourism attraction and is home to a variety of people from different cultures, as well as some of the top-class doctors and state-of-the-art medical facilities in the world An efficient public transportation system, affordable accommodation, connectivity through airlines, and a wide range of food options are some of the reasons for the popularity of these cities among medical tourists. Healthcare in Johannesburg is similar to Great Britain’s health care, and the city’s public and private healthcare sectors work hand in hand with South Africa's medical schools to create internationally recognized medical specialists.
Yes, vaccination is mandatory before you travel to South Africa. Some of the vaccines recommended by WHO and the National Travel Health Network and Centre are Yellow fever, hepatitis A, rabies and tetanus, hepatitis B, typhoid, cholera. Infants 6 to 11 months old travelling to the country should get 1 dose of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine before travel. It is always recommended that you get typhoid vaccination if you are going to stay with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities or rural areas of South Africa. You can connect with your doctor or the hospital in South Africa for the required vaccines. Also, refer to the travel advisory issued by the government.
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