THE arrival of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Namibia to have their much-publicised baby -- and their demands for privacy in the face of a paparazzi frenzy -- may have irritated the locals.

But it underscores a growing trend among foreigners: sub-Saharan Africa is the place to be if you want good, reliable and comparatively inexpensive medical treatment.

Of course, Pitt and Jolie may have had different motives in deciding to have their child in Namibia -- hopes of greater privacy and the prospect of having a child born in Africa, for example. But there can be little doubt that foreigners are increasingly looking to SA for good-quality medical care -- be they from other African countries or further afield.

The most recent trend is the so-called "surgery and safari" package tour, also known, somewhat nauseatingly, as "scalpel safaris". It has largely been a creation of the growth of plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes, whereby people can have a facelift or tummy tuck, spend a few weeks on holiday in the sun recovering, and then head back home with no telltale bruises.

But people, particularly from within Africa, also travel to SA for more urgent procedures, including open-heart surgery, hip replacements and cataract surgery.

There are fairly compelling reasons to undertake such a venture, the principal one being price. In the UK, for example, it costs between £4500 and £6000 (R54000-R72000) for procedures such as liposuction, a tummy tuck or a breast enlargement. And there are long waiting lists. In SA, these procedures can be done at short notice and cost between R30000 and R45000, with flights, accommodation or a safari part of the package. Patients often bring their families and a healthy number of such visitors have been known to invest in property here. The average medical tourist spends about R100000 a visit on the surgery and tourism.

These operations are not without risk, or course, and patients need to be assured that they receive top-quality treatment by well-qualified surgeons. The British Association of Plastic Surgeons, for example, cautions against cut-price cosmetic surgery anywhere, warning of botched operations.

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