Gallbladder Surgery in Mexico

Allen Miller, Seaview, WA

I’d been having severe abdominal pain for two months.  After a CT scan, my doctor told me I needed gallbladder surgery, a cholecystectomy. .  Then I heard the hospital cost alone would be $10,000 to $15,000 – not including surgeons, anesthesiologist and the rest. My total costs in the U.S. would have been around $20,000. Until six years ago, I had insurance through an employer, but when I quit that job, I learned that I was uninsurable because I had Hepatitis C.  The costs in the US were unaffordable so I decided to look at international options. 

I had friends who’d gone abroad for dental work, so I thought, ‘Why not see something of the world while having this surgery!’  I got on the computer, and right away found WorldMed Assist.  I contacted them, and two weeks later was on a plane with my wife, headed for gallbladder surgery at Hospital Angeles in Tijuana, Mexico.  I’d looked at surgery in Belgium, Turkey and India, but because my wife and I run a Bed and Breakfast, we wanted the shortest trip possible. 

Before I made my final decision, WorldMed Assist set up a teleconference with Doctor Jorge Zavala Ruiz, the surgeon at Hospital Angeles.  That was very helpful.  Both my wife and I worked in the medical field as technicians, so we knew what questions to ask.  We got all the answers we needed, felt this was the right decision, and told WorldMed Assist to set it up. 

The total for all my medical costs plus travel and hotel for both of us was around $6,000:  quite a savings!  That also included a liver biopsy to make sure my liver would not become overwhelmed without the gallbladder doing its share. 

When my wife checked out purchasing our airline tickets, the best deal she could find was $1000 for two. WorldMed Assist got us both tickets for $400!  We were picked up at the San Diego airport and driven to the hospital by a driver who spoke great English, and told us all about his family.  The hospital was very clean, and looked sharp with its marble floors.  Private, luxurious rooms are standard.

I had surgery the day after we arrived, and was discharged two days later.  My wife and I spent three days relaxing in San Diego before heading home. 

Medical tourism is a good option for anyone who can’t get insurance.  My wife is now working with WorldMed Assist to get cosmetic surgery in Mexico.  As I told WorldMed Assist, thanks to you, ‘I rolled the dice and got a seven.’ 
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