March 10, 2009

SOUTHBURY, CT — Traveling out of state or country for medical treatment, commonly referred to as medical tourism , is now catching on with parents seeking specialized surgeries for their children.

In the last few years, parents from around the world have flocked to the United States for specialized pediatric surgeries. And American parents have sought help in countries with nationalized healthcare or more affordable surgeries, such as India . But as with all surgical procedures and practices, experts are advising caution.

Dr. Armen Ketchedjian, author of the book Will It Hurt? A Parent’s Practical Guide to Children’s Surgery, says that any parent looking for the best care for their child should place quality first, and that any decision made about surgery should be done with the advice and counsel of the child’s pediatrician.

“Selecting a surgeon for a child can be a difficult process for parents,” says Dr. Ketch, as the author is known to his patients. “It’s a frightening thing to be told that your child needs surgery, and parents are sometimes slow to trust doctors to operate. So caution is a natural and advisable strategy.”

Hospitals like Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, have adapted to the trend and deal with families from around the world—200 from Italy alone—who travel there to take advantage of the hospital’s specialized surgeries to restore vision in premature babies.

For American parents, the journey often leads them to areas with American-trained doctors working for lower wages. “Unfortunately, the healthcare companies sometimes insist on very strict criteria for approving a surgery,” says Dr. Ketch. “It has changed the way pediatric surgeons practice medicine.”

Dr. Ketch hopes that his book will contribute to better parent education about pediatric surgery in general and recommends that parents who are considering traveling to see specialists keep the following guidelines in mind:

- Look for a surgeon who has training in the kind of surgery your child needs

- Find out in advance what type of facility your child will have to be in for the procedure

- If you have a choice between a medical center that specializes in pediatrics and one that does not, choose the one that specializes in pediatrics

- Look for a surgeon who has extensive experience

These tips and more are part of Dr. Ketch’s efforts to give parents some insight into the world of pediatric surgery. He says hopes that more parents will take advantage of resources like his to learn about their options before making a final decision about where to take their child for surgery.

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