Man travels to India for heart op

Mike Cooke's condition saw his heart rate sometimes quadruple

A man from Devon travelled to India for a heart operation after he was told he would have to wait at least a year for treatment on the NHS.

The whole trip, including the hospital treatment in Mumbai, also cost Mike Cooke about a quarter of what it would have cost privately in the UK.

Mr Cooke, 59, from Diptford, was treated for Atrial Flutter.

The Department of Health said if a patient wanted to travel abroad for treatment then that was their choice.

'Five-star hotel'

Mr Cooke's Atrial Flutter saw his heart occasionally speed up to quadruple its normal rate.

In despair at the surgery's possible wait or cost, he went on the internet and found a company which arranged for transport and treatment in Mumbai.

He said: "I was told the wait if I went with the NHS would have been about a year. If I went private I could have got it done immediately, but at a cost of £8,500 minimum.

"The whole bill at end of the trip was £2,300. That included the treatment and even a suite for my partner to stay with me, with room service and laundry service.

"I felt I was treated a bit like a celebrity, and it was a hospital that felt like a five-star hotel."

The Department of Health said patients could travel abroad for treatment if they wanted, but added that there were increasingly few reasons for patients to seek treatment outside of the NHS as its capacity was continuing to increase.