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Short answer: because it can.
This both is and isn’t a joke because when facing longer and longer waiting lines on NHS with an actually very small possibility to qualify, gathering the funds and seeking out bariatric surgery abroad is as much a trend as it is a necessity.
Bariatric surgery pros and cons
Does anyone ever tell you that choosing weight loss surgery is taking the easy way out? Laugh at them. Don’t bother to respond, and don’t feed the trolls, m’kay?
Not sure bariatric surgery actually has many cons. Yes, it’s risky, just like any other surgery of this type, but less since performed laparoscopically (with tiny incisions). There are side effects, but most are countered with proper vitamins, exercise, adjusting diet, and other prescribed remedies. Utter dedication and changes to one’s entire lifestyle. Not a piece of cake. An entire cake.
The pros? Let’s just name the most important one – you will get a powerful ally in your own body to help you start living the way you have wanted for a long time. This is the essence of bariatric surgery – not a miracle, but powerful means.
Bariatric surgery in the UK
So, how much does bariatric surgery cost in the UK?
If you manage to squeeze yourself into the narrow slot of having your weight loss surgery on NHS, then nothing for you, though the cost for NHS is £2588 and rising, which is also one of the main reasons why the lines are so long – the division of funds in health care is just super difficult.
In a UK private clinic, the cost for a gastric band is between £4000-8000, and for a sleeve, £8000-12000.
So what do you do when you really need a bariatric weight loss surgery, but you either cannot wait, do not qualify, or cannot afford to have it in the UK?
Bariatric surgery abroad
That’s right – you do what hundreds of other people do – research and find a professional yet affordable clinic abroad, be it in Turkey or Europe (although we earnestly recommend the latter, if not for anything else, then for the much shorter travel)
And since we must always talk about money, then let’s draw an example of the bariatric surgery sleeve gastrectomy:
In the UK – £8000-12000.
In Turkey, though wildly dependent on the clinic – £3500
In Belgium (however, the price is non-inclusive) £5000-6600
In Poland, £3600 (non-inclusive)
In the most popular clinic in Latvia, Weight Loss Riga – £4980, all-inclusive!
Before deciding, do your homework and, most important – get in contact with other, actual people who have been through a successful bariatric surgery abroad. And, of course, contact the clinic’s staff to ask them anything and everything.
In summary, bariatric surgery abroad is hype because doing it in the UK can, even in the best scenario, take either too much time or too much money. In contrast, there are several highly professional clinics out there, especially in the Baltics, with much more affordable prices and very high success rates.
Check it out!
