First Published in International Living.

One of the worries you may have when you’re moving abroad may be: What if I need to have surgery?

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Well, it happened to me recently in Montevideo, Uruguay. My left knee had been niggling for a while. ‘Too much yoga,’ I thought. The niggling gradually built into discomfort. ‘Must be my age. I’ll take it easy for a while.’ But the knee continued to swell. ‘I want my knobbly knee back!’ I complained. When discomfort developed into severe pain, I realized it was unwise to keep braving it: something needed to be done. My local doctor advised me to go to the British Hospital for an MRI scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). I was able to get an appointment for three days later, and the procedure was quite straightforward – I had to lie still with my leg in a sort of tunnel for half an hour. I was warned that it would be noisy – in fact it sounded like a pneumatic drill – but I was so relaxed that I fell asleep.

Two days later I picked up the results and was able to see Dr Fernando Mota, one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country. He took one look at my swollen knobless knee and said: ‘You need surgery. Your meniscus is damaged, and you have a cyst. We’ll do an arthroscopy to look at the meniscus, and an incision to remove the cyst.’ He explained that the meniscus is a specific part of the cartilage, and an arthroscopy involved making a tiny cut to insert a minuscule lens, which would enable him to make a diagnosis, and if necessary, remove the meniscus. The MRI report confirmed his analysis, and I was booked in for an operation the following week.

The preparation was standard: blood test and ECG. But as the days went by, I became increasingly nervous, and as we walked up the hospital steps clutching my husband’s hand, he said ‘Think soccer. If there’s one place they know about knee injuries, it’s Uruguay. Like having treatment for a gunshot wound in Belfast in the seventies.’ Not very reassuring words.

However, the procedure was simple: I was admitted at nine o’clock in the morning, and was taken straight to theatre. I received a light general anesthetic; I was awake again within an hour. I was able to hobble to the car, and was home by lunch time. I had two stitches for the two holes of the arthroscopy, and seven where Dr Mota removed the 1.5 inch cyst which was sent for analysis.

The internal pain I had suffered for weeks was immediately relieved. Of course, I had to take it easy for a couple of weeks, and was put on an exercise program to strengthen my quadriceps: the more I exercised, I was told, the faster I could get back to normal. After ten days, the stitches were removed, and two days later I was swimming again.

The treatment I received at the British hospital before, during and after the operation, from Dr Mota, the anesthetist, the nurses and all the staff, was professional and caring.

And the cost?

I was treated as a private patient. I didn’t have to pay anything up front. Each prior and post-operatory consultation with Dr Mota cost me $100.00. The MRI was $400, and the hospital fees $600. I had to pay $2,500 for the surgeon, anesthetist, and team. Fortunately I have my own insurance which reimburses all the costs, although I believe that the total amount would have been more than double if I’d had the operation in the U.S. or U.K.

Had I been a member of the British Hospital Scheme, it would have all been free. Well, almost free. I would have had to pay US$4.00 per consultation with the specialist and US$50.00 for the MRI. I would have paid nothing for the hospitalization, surgeon, anesthetist, or any other associated costs. The membership system works on a sliding scale according to age, and ranges from about $75.00 to $115.00 a month. Well worth it if you’re a permanent resident here.

The British Hospital
Av Italia 2420
Montevideo
Tel +59824871020
www.hospitalbritanico.org.uy