By traveling outside your home country for medical care, you may encounter unfamiliar legal issues. The limited nature of litigation in non-US countries is one reason for the lower cost of care overseas. While some countries currently presenting themselves as attractive medical tourism destinations provide some form of legal remedies for medical malpractice, these legal avenues may be unappealing to you. Should problems arise, patients might not be covered by adequate personal insurance or might be unable to seek compensation via malpractice lawsuits. Hospitals and/or doctors in some countries may be unable to pay the financial damages awarded by a court to a patient who has sued them, owing to the hospital and/or the doctor not possessing appropriate insurance cover and/or medical indemnity. However new insurance products are available that protect the patient should an alleged medical malpractice occur overseas.

SurgeryPlanet can provide you legal assistance in the country that you are traveling to if you pre-arrange and pre pay for this service with SurgeryPlanet Case Manager before your travel. This will allow you to consult with our legal consultant at the destination before your travel and during your stay at the destination country, to understand your rights in their legal system. Please contact your Case Manager and book your legal consultant before your travel.