The practice of health tourism is drawing increasing numbers of visitors to the island of Malta, local newspaper the Malta Independent has reported.
And the Malta is looking to encourage health tourism by investing heavily in drawing even more visitors, with a £20 million initial investment, and an additional £20 million that could go into further boosting numbers.
The campaign will be spearheaded by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), St James Hospital and Hotel Fortina Spa Resort, and Sahara Medical Tourism.
Funds will be used to help UK tourists and others in obtaining loans to get medical treatment on the island at a fraction of the price they would back home.
There will also be a greater investment on the islands medical facilities, which are considered to be of a high standard.
The aim, according to the campaign organisers, is to put Malta 'right at the top of international health tourism destinations'.
Sahara Tourism has shot a first commercial to be shown on Living TV and Living Plus highlighting cosmetic surgery facilities, but eventually orthopaedic and cardiac surgery and treatment will be other specialities the campaign will focus on.
The Maltese government was also planning to get local doctors accredited with the British General Medical Council (GMC) to prevent any possible problems, in order to make Malta an ally, not competitor, of the British NHS, said the organisers.
'If a British national needs a hip replacement, and this can only be offered after nine months or so in the UK, we will offer the possibility of the operation being carried out in Malta after just two to three weeks,' said Gary Miller of Sahara Medical Tourism.
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