Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll naturally have lots of questions about the process of getting weight loss surgery abroad. Here are some of the more commonly asked questions.
If you have any other questions – get in touch
Table of Contents
About Weight Loss Abroad
Our surgeons fed back to us that they were seeing an increasing number of patients return from overseas, usually Turkey, with very high complication rates after their weight loss surgery. We therefore decided to work together to develop an overseas weight loss surgery service that of the same standard as that available to patients in the UK, including surgery being done overseas by NHS surgeons.
Like all patients you need protections in the event anything should go wrong. This is unlikely but there is always a risk. For this reason your clinic and surgeon need to be insured, and insured in the UK. It would be difficult if not impossible for a UK patient to bring a claim against a Turkish surgeon. This is all included in the price of your package.
You will need to arrange separately for travel insurance that covers travel for medical treatment (which is a common exclusion in mainstream policies.) Our team can help you by recommending providers to get quotes from.
Patients have all the same protections they would have if they had their surgery in the UK. The clinic and the surgeon both have UK insurance. Patients who travel to Turkey have none of these important legal protections.
Our surgeons are registered with the General Medical Council and operate regularly in the NHS. It is likely that your surgery in India would be done by Professor Singhal who has his NHS base in Birmingham.
Simple, the quality of the people and the hospital. We have our own team at the hospital and the entire service in country is managed by Professor Singhal. Quite simply, the standards are the equivalent of those patients experience in the UK. The facilities, the equipment and the surgical team meet UK standards in terms of quality of care and outcomes. The same does not apply for patients who visit other countries where the regulatory environment is not so robust.
We are not cheap. We want to make our service to as many patients as possible. Our mission is to help as many people as possible access the weight loss surgery that will transform their lives. We price our procedures competitively so that as many people as possible can benefit from them.
We are registered with the Care Quality commission in the UK and we work to the same high standards as all other UK providers. Our overseas patients benefit from these high standards too. Patients traveling overseas with other providers do not benefit from any of these important safety protections.
We are based in Birmingham, and are part of the Better Health Group, the UK’s leading specialist medical weight loss treatment business
Payment & Finance
You can pay by bank transfer, loan or credit card.
Yes, we offer payment plans under which you can spread payments via short term interest free arrangements
Yes, you have all of the normal protections to change your mind up to the time the service begins – your admission to hospital.
Your Stay In India
That’s matter of choice for you. We keep everyone in for one night and then you are able to go home. Some people decide to stay a second or even third night in hospital though, but its not necessary.
We ask that you stay in country for 7 days after surgery before flying home. We like to review you before you go home, just as we would if you had surgery in the UK.
No need to bring any food, but we will check any special dietary requirements.
Yes, you can. Some patients bring a porter or family member for company, others come alone. Some people tie in their trip with their annual holiday and take in all that India has to offer.
Just the same things you would take on an overseas holiday.
Your companion will be able to accompany you to the clinic, but will not be able to stay once you are transferred to theatre. They will be able to visit whilst you are in recovery, but will not be permitted to stay overnight.
No, everyone at the hospital speaks excellent English and the surgical team will communicate in English. Professor Singhal operates in the NHS too remember
Before The Surgery
People with a body mass index above 35 are usually eligible for surgery. Your surgeon will confirm your eligibility at consultation
There are other weight loss treatments available to people with lower BMI. We would discuss these with you if your BMI is too low for surgery
We treat people with a very high BMI. It is very unlikely you would be ineligible for surgery based on a high BMI alone.
We encourage people to follow a low calorie diet for a minimum of 7 days before their surgery. We’ll give specific advice on what this should include.
Its more important that you follow the diet rather than lose weight before surgery. The benefit fo following the diet is that it will shrink the liver and make the surgery easier and safer
It is a matter of choice for you. We will write to your GP before and after your surgery, as we think its important they are fully informed, unless you explicitly ask that we don’t
The start point is a consultation and we can arrange that within a few days. You can have a surgery a few weeks after that.
This is where our website and your consultation is very important. On the website you can read about the hospital and the surgical team. At consultation you can ask the surgeon any questions about the treatment process and we encourage you to do that
It’s a good question. The reason is that the main cost items, the land on which the hospital is built, the hospital build costs and the hospital staffing costs are all lower than they are in the UK. As you can imagine the cost of building a hospital in central London is far greater than building one in the suburbs of Delhi
Yes, this is vital.
After The Surgery
Yes, we can provide a sick note saying that you have had abdominal surgery and need a couple of weeks to recuperate
It depends on the type of work you do. If it is physical work, you’ll need to wait a couple of weeks. If you do desk/home working, you may find you are able to work after just a couple of days. Its important to be careful though and listen to your body.
We usually encourage walking after a few days and then light exercise in week 2. Be careful with abdominal exercises for 4 weeks post operatively
Yes we do and this is the main reason patients come to Weight loss Surgery Abroad. You’ll have a 24 month aftercare package as standard. You also have the option to add to this package. See ‘packages’
On booking you will receive a comprehensive patient information pack which will include all the details of the post procedure diet.
Your patient care team will also be there to support you through the early weeks as you change from liquids, to puree foods and eventually back onto solid food.
No, all of your aftercare will be done in the UK
We encourage you to achieve a healthy weight, with a BMI below 30, before considering cosmetic surgery. When you hit this mark and stay there for a period you can begin planning further surgery
On booking you will receive a comprehensive patient information pack which will include all the details of the post procedure diet.
Your patient care team will also be there to support you, this will include access to our dietician and bariatric nurses.
We encourage patients to use soluble Vits and mins for the first 4 weeks after surgery. Thereafter you can swallow Vits and mins normally. Its important that you follow our guidance on Vits and mins supplementation as weight loss surgery patients have specific requirements, and these are life long
It varies from person to person but a healthy rate of weight loss for most people is 1-2 pounds per week.
As you would expect we encourage all patients not to drink. We appreciate many will however and we encourage anyone who does want to drink alcohol to do so in moderation
We encourage you to have blood tests at least every 12 months. These can be organised with your GP.
You are able to consume as many calories per day as you wish. You will only lose weight however by reducing your calorie consumption. Your surgery will have the effect of both reducing your appetite and your stomach capacity
Yes you can. Its important to maintain a balanced diet and we will give advice on this. The blood tests we recommend post operatively will ensure you are maintaining a healthy nutritional balance, and would highlight any shortfalls.
No, a balanced diet is most important.