EU residents can travel abroad for surgery at no cost

Residents in European Union (EU) member states will be able to travel abroad for their hip replacement surgery following a ruling in parliament.

EU citizens will be able to to claim back money for the costs of travelling to another country on the continent for their treatment.

Members of the European parliament voted on the issue this week, passing a first reading of a draft report for a directive.

The right for EU residents to seek medical care overseas has been passed by the European Court of Justice since 1998 but are not yet part of EU law.

Liz Lynne from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe says the legislation will open up the options for people who cannot afford to pay for overseas healthcare themselves.

"Why should a patient ... spend months in agony waiting for a hip replacement when they could get treatment sooner in another member state, sometimes at a lesser cost to the country of origin?" she adds.

It follows news from the Kari Group that many US residents are choosing to travel to Poland to get surgery, such as hip replacements, due to its location and quality of service.

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