Where in Asia to get my VSG?

I'm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There is one surgeon from the US that comes here, Dr. Paul Wizman, but he operates at a hospital I REALLY don't like. Damensara Specialists Centre almost killed me. Okay, my surgeon almost killed me by cutting my common bile duct and sewing me up and sending me home. The infection was incredibly painful after a week, they took me back in, poked around for 6 hours, sewed me up, called the General Hospital to pull them out of the mess (they couldn't handle it) and charged me a bomb before releasing my. Wanted to get the money up front incase I died. Almost did. I lost the bottom lobe of my left lung and have had all kinds of problems since then. Sue them? Not in Malaysia. When you hear Bush talk about limiting punitive damages against doctors, don't listen to him. So now where do I go for my VSG? Mexico and the US are far away, India is not well regulated but then again I don't know it. Ideas any one?

Have you considered Singapore? I live here part time and am favorably impressed with the endocrinologist I go to, Hubby is pleased with his respiratory guy. I had my RNY last year in Houston with Dr. Spivak and would never consider recommending anyone else, even though I had a staph infection afterwards that almost killed me. Dr. S. came riding in on his white horse, wearing his shiny armor and rescued me and I can never say enough good about him. I'm now thinking about plastics and will have them done in Houston, not here, just because I know what I'll be getting at home and am not so sure about the standards required here. A few episodes of upset tummy after eating at restaurants that aren't inspected by a US health inspector, personal experiences with insects running rampant in our luxury apartment, spotty refrigeration, etc, just makes me more concerned and I won't take any chances after my last experience. I know longer have the secret belief that "things like that can't happen to me".

US health inspectors like the kind that that let poison toothpaste and lead painted toys into the US? How about the guy here who was going to go back to the US to have his op "done right" and died on the table from bad anesthesia. Forgive me if I'm not impressed with US health standards. There are the standards and then there's what really happens. I've checked in the S'pore, much more expensive. I might as well have it in Australia or Japan. I've come across one guy who's had it done here and he's as positive about his surgery as anyone I've come across. I think I'm going to make an appointment with the guy here. They aren't a part of the hospital and separate from the administration of it. We shall see.

Hey Gary, mistakes happen as long as we're depending upon humans to work on us, but at least when something like lead in toothpaste, or poisoned dog food happens, we have the USDA to find out about it and do something, unlike other countries where it's common practice to allow it if the vendor pays off the right person. I'm just saying, if I had it to do all over again, I would go back to Dr. Spivak, he's the best in my opinion and if I read your first message correctly, you were asking for our opinions. Also, you might just check on the news archives, you might see that when someone very important has to have some kind of very risky treatment or surgery, they quite often go to the US for it, like the Polish president whose name I can't spell who just months ago had a pacemaker implanted at Houston Methodist, not to mention the great Dr. Debakey *****cently passed away, but was a pioneer in heart surgery. I also think that trying to find the best bargain price for something as crucial as surgery might be a bad idea. This is a decision which will effect you for the rest of your life, make it carefully, with as much information beforehand as possible, and then after it's done, rejoice! Life will only get better. Good luck, and don't be so hard an us Americans, we're doing the best we can.

I can recommend Hong Kong from personal experience, having had a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy half a year ago without any major problems. Lost 111 pounds so far with massive health improvements.

Weight loss operations are offered in a few public hospitals, almost free for residents like me, and in a number of private hospitals who are even advertising them now via live operation telecasts at medical fairs. Not sure about the costs in private hospitals but probably quite a bit more than in Malaysia, but much less than in the US, of course.