# British patient skips 3-year NHS wait for knee surgery in India 2026-08-13T15:56:14+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A British man named Jean Paul, who needed double knee replacement, was told by England's National Health Service that he would have to wait three years for surgery. Unwilling to lose more time, he lost 19 kgs with UK doctors' help and travelled to India for the procedure. The Medical Travel Company, a medical concierge firm, shared his story on Instagram. Paul underwent successful surgery at a private Indian hospital and spent two weeks in aftercare. The cost in the UK would have been £40,000 (roughly Rs 51 lakh) including treatment and physio. In India, he spent £14,000 (about Rs 18 lakh), which covered flights, accommodation, meals, insurance, and care. India's private healthcare system offers services at 60 to 80 per cent lower cost than Western countries, driving medical tourism. ## Coverage - deccanherald.com Tags: cost comparison, India healthcare, knee surgery, medical tourism, NHS waiting lists, UK healthcare Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/british-patient-skips-3-year-nhs-wait-for-knee-surgery-in-india/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/british-patient-skips-3-year-nhs-wait-for-knee-surgery-in-india/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.