Costs of Medical Tourism in Poland Set To Soar

Poland has been one of the countries in Europe to benefit most from the rise in medical tourism. Cosmetic surgery and cosmetic dentistry have provided a great deal of extra income to the country over the past few years.

The reason for this has been the lower cost of living in Poland, compared to many Western European countries. Cosmetic surgery clinics in Poland have simply been able to price procedures more competitively than many other countries, with costs generally around half the price of treatment in the UK, and sometimes as much as 70% cheaper.

Dental treatment, particularly, has been considerably cheaper.

However, this is now changing, and prices seem set to rise higher, since a 23% VAT rate was imposed on medical tourism procedures on January 1st 2011.

Naturally, clinics have responded by raising their rates, and many potential patients have been choosing to travel instead to the Czech Republic for treatment.

Indeed, many Poles also have been traveling abroad for treatments and procedures, as they become ever harder-pressed for cash.

What this will mean for Poland's medical tourism industry remains to be seen. Poland's surgeons and clinics do have an excellent reputation, and the industry has been very well-marketed, but when the whole point of medical tourism is to secure the best prices, you have to wonder how Poland will fare.

Already, there is relatively little difference between the prices in Poland and Belgium, which is also very well-marketed as a medical tourism destination.

Find out which country has the cheapest prices for cosmetic surgery and dental treatment.