SYDNEY, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Medical Association ( AMA) on Wednesday urged people to be cautious after a Gold Coast business is launched to offer "cosmetic plastic surgery and dental holidays in Phuket (Thailand)".
The business, CosMediTour, is also offering its patients the " bonus of a luxurious resort to recover in" but AMA Vice President Steve Hambleton said holidays and surgery should not mix.
He also said the cost savings should be weighed up against increased risk and a lack of recourse should something go wrong.
"If you go overseas, you don't have the sort of (doctor) registration systems that we have in this country and we know that our training is excellent and our doctors' standards are excellent, " Hambleton told Australian Associated Press.
CosMediTour Director Christyna Kruczaj said while prices varied depending on surgery type and by person, packages would cost 20 to 40 percent less than having the equivalent procedure in Australia.
A breast enlargement, for example, would cost 6,500 Australian dollars (5,392 U.S. dollars) in Thailand while the same procedure costs more than 10,000 Australian dollars (8,310 U.S. dollars) in Australia.
"All of our surgeons are accredited plastic surgeons and the Thai accreditation is based on the U.S. system of plastic and reconstructive surgery," Kruczaj said.
She said patients only paid for an initial consult, flights and accommodation before leaving Australia and they could opt out of their surgery in Thailand without financial penalty.
