Britons fly elsewhere for surgery

LONDON, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- About 70,000 British "health tourists" a year fly to India and other countries for surgery.

Experts say that number could more than double by 2010, The Sunday Telegraph reported. Britons are frustrated with long waits for treatment by the National Health Service and fear of infection by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in British hospitals.

India is the most popular country for medical treatment. Hungary, Turkey, Germany, Malaysia, Poland and Spain follow, with 48 countries in all attracting British patients.

Andrew Lansley, the Conservative Party shadow health secretary, called the trend toward getting treatment abroad a "terrible indictment" of the Labor Government health policies.

Kathleen Murphy of the Patients' Association said the public has lost confidence in the NHS, but most cannot afford to seek treatment elsewhere.