Methodology
How we compare UK and overseas bariatric treatment.
We do not give countries a “safety score”
Excellent and poor providers can exist in the same country. The meaningful unit of comparison is the specific surgeon, hospital, procedure, governance, aftercare and complication pathway.
Why these destinations are included
Türkiye and parts of Central/Eastern Europe are commonly considered by UK patients seeking self-funded bariatric surgery. Inclusion is not endorsement.
True cost
The calculator uses user-entered values rather than publishing a stale national “average”. Headline procedure price is separated from flights, companion travel, hotels, specialist insurance, pre-op costs, aftercare, supplements, local transport, lost earnings and a return-trip reserve.
GHIC / EHIC
UK government guidance states that EHIC/GHIC does not cover travelling abroad for elective surgery or planned treatment. Cards are not substitutes for travel insurance and do not cover private healthcare or repatriation.
Follow-up standard
BOMSS guidance describes regular postoperative follow-up for a minimum of two years in a specialist bariatric surgical service, followed by at least annual monitoring of nutritional status and supplementation according to need.
Why NHS emergency care is not counted as “aftercare included”
The NHS may treat emergency complications after someone returns to the UK. That does not turn the NHS into the routine follow-up service that should have been arranged by a privately funded pathway.
Country verification sources
Where possible, the centre links to government or national regulatory registers: Turkish Ministry of Health authorised international-health-tourism providers; Lithuanian State Health Care Accreditation Agency; Latvian Health Inspectorate; Polish healthcare-provider registers; and Czech national/provider systems.
Package completeness score
The score only measures how many due-diligence questions the user says they have resolved. It is not a quality score, safety probability, endorsement or clinical recommendation.
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