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Patient Stories

Thomas Keegan
- Knee Replacement
- 10/04/2024
“It is unbelievable, everything from the planning to post-operation has been faultless and I am virtually pain-free for the first time in years,” said Thomas Keegan
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Derek Byrne
- Knee Replacement
- 02/04/2024
"My brother has been on a holiday to Spain and met someone who had been with Healthcare Abroad for surgery, and they were raving about how good the service was."
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Concepta Corrigan
- Hip Replacement
- 22/03/2024
“Everything was taken care of within five weeks, and I will for sure come back for any other treatment I may need. All the staff have made everything stress-free."
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Derek Clarke
- Knee Replacement
- 19/03/2024
“Even though it sounded too good to be true, I decided to give it a go as I was not getting anywhere with treatment at home. I discussed everything with Paul and only four weeks ago finally decided to go ahead. Everything was booked within minutes"
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Sorcha Baliczki
- Endometriosis and Adenomyosis
- 14/03/2024
"Everything was amazing and from the minute I woke up I knew the pain was gone,” said Sorcha Baliczki from Bettystown, Co. Meath. “Everything was brilliant right through to my recovery. The hotel and Healthcare Abroad staff made it seem more like a holiday than surgery recovery".
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Linda O'Shea
- Knee Replacement
- 28/03/2024
“I went online and read the patient stories and thought, that is me, and I need to go ahead and get help. Paul in the Dublin office helped get everything sorted with our credit union and travel arrangements.
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Alan Fleming
- Knee Replacement
- 27/03/2024
Meet Alan Fleming from Dublin, a retired Irish Defense Forces service member. Alan faced debilitating knee pain after years of wear and tear from his active lifestyle, including football, ice hockey and over 33 years in military service.
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Aidan Draper
- Hip Replacement
- 25/03/2024
“Everything has been 10 out of 10! Not only was I released from the hospital, but I was also released from my pain,” said Aidan Draper, a retiree from Cork shortly after his hip operation at HCB Denia.
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Jennifer Pierce
- Bariatric Surgeries
- 23/03/2024
Jennifer Pierce, from Cork, underwent knee replacement surgery in Denia, Spain, with Healthcare Abroad last April. Delighted with her experience, she returned the following month for weight loss surgery, opting for a gastric bypass.
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Aileen Whyte
- Bunion Surgery
- 17/03/2024
The other patients who were in Denia all supported each other and the craic there at meal times and by the pool helped keep the spirits up. I definitely have made some great friends on this trip.
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Richard
- Hip Replacement
- 13/03/2024
"I first contacted Healthcare Abroad on February 2nd this year. Within a few days, everything was arranged,
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Patrick Kinsella
- Hip Replacement
- 12/03/2024
“This is a lifeline for me and has renewed my enthusiasm for living!” Patrick Kinsella said a few days after having his hip operation through Healthcare Abroad. Patrick, an inner-city soccer coach from Dublin, had been suffering from hip pain for a few years that two years ago got worse. “I have been involved in athletics since I was nine years old.
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Bernadette O’Riordan
- Knee Replacement
- 05/03/2024
Bernadette O’Riordan, from Cork said “everything was absolutely amazing! From the communication with Chris, the drivers, to Dr Henkel promising pain-free treatment, it has been fabulous.” Bernadette had been constantly seeing her GP for rheumatoid arthritis for over 20 years,
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Christine Conlon
- Meniscus Repair Surgery
- 02/03/2024
Christine Conlon from Mullagh had a wonderful experience with Healthcare Abroad and HCB Denia hospital when she had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in May 2023 and reached out again to us in November for help. “I had been dealing with back pain for most of my adult life.
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Michael Robinson
- Hip Replacement
- 01/03/2024
“Everything is perfect! It is fabulous!” said Michael Robinson from Dublin shortly after his hip replacement surgery at HCB Denia. Michael, a single father of three boys, had horrible pain in his hip that was limiting his ability to look after his young son and run his family-owned window business. He reached out to Healthcare Abroad after treatment to try to save his hip at a costly private clinic back home was unsuccessful. “It actually made it worse and I was not reimbursed for any of it.”
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Alex Sardi
- Gastric Bypass
- 08/02/2024
“I was feeling very frustrated from years of not having enough energy for my young family and a demanding career and facing a possible future of diabetes and heart issues.” A chance encounter with a friend of a friend, who came to her house with her children for Halloween treats “changed her life”.
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John Bennett
- Gall Bladder Removal Surgery
- 23/02/2024
John found out he needed to have his gall bladder removed in January and was facing at least a one-year wait in Ireland. Not wanting to wait, he researched his options and found Healthcare Abroad.
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Patricia Kirwan
- Hip Replacement
- 17/01/2024
The outcome has been nothing short of astonishing. Patricia's recovery has been remarkable, as she now manages with minimal pain medication and has regained her optimism. Expressing her gratitude, she praised the Healthcare Abroad team, the medical staff, and the attentive hotel personnel at the Daniya Denia Spa Hotel.
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Tommy Roche
- Knee Replacement
- 27/07/2023
I called Chris at Healthcare Abroad and every single thing he told me on the call was 100 per cent and more. The service is exceptional. “All the drivers and carers and all the hospital staff were superb. The physio and aftercare was out of this world and I am hoping now to return to refereeing in the New Year. I’ll start with short-sided games and maybe progress to 11-a-side matches again. “I want to thank everyone at Healthcare Abroad.
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Dinah Nolan
- Hip Replacement
- 10/11/2022
They provided a 5-star service all the way. They did everything. The hospital was amazing. My God, they know how to look after you. "Without these earth angels I would not be where I am today. I am living my life again. I've been on four foreign holidays since, the most recent last month to celebrate my pain-free 60th birthday.
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Mark McKenna
- Hip Replacement
- 22/10/2023
“The x-ray was done about 18 months ago. Six weeks after that I was told I had corrosion in my knee and a consultant would be in touch. I still haven’t heard anything more than a year later. “A friend of my mum’s had been to Spain with Healthcare Abroad and I began looking into it and sent an email. I got a call back and an apology as it took 2 weeks to get a response and I just laughed because
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Tony Hickey
- Bariatric Surgeries
- 22/01/2023
Tony says he find it even more frustrating that some people think it’s cheaper to go to Turkey. “It’s a false economy,” said Tony. “The headline price might look cheaper but the HSE doesn’t approve surgery in Turkey as it’s outside the EU and therefore you can’t get any money back from the HSE at all under the cross-border scheme.
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Rory O'Sullivan
- 18/01/2023
“The insurance I had only covered less than half of any surgery costs, so I began to look into it further and realised that the full cost of the operation I badly needed could be covered under the EU Cross Border scheme,” said Rory who works as a data analyst.
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Ken O'Grady
- Knee Replacement
- 25/01/2023
“I had the consultation the next day and a day later I was in surgery and had my knee replaced. What was really good about the experience was the rehab which followed, which is always nicer to do when the weather is so good. “Two weeks later I was able to walk in without crutches to see a physio back home in Clare for a check-up and she was amazed. I was able to walk unaided, and just as importantly the excruciating pain had gone.”
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Neil Myers
- 21/08/2023
I knew someone who had been with Healthcare Abroad for surgery and he said the service was 5-star. So I rang on June 6 this year, and a few weeks later I was in HCB Hospital Benidorm for a microdiscectomy surgery which took place on July 12 last, following a consultation two days before that.
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Robert Delaney
- Knee Replacement
- 01/02/2023
“It was the best decision I ever made,” said Robert. “I would say to anyone in my own parish or own county if they are in the same position ‘Don’t even think about it, just get on a plane to Alicante’
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Gary Fortune
- Hip Replacement
- 11/08/2023
By the Friday I was down to using one crutch and it felt brilliant,” he recalls. “Eleven days after the operation I didn't need my crutch for short distance walking and only required one crutch for long distance walking. Most importantly, I felt no pain for the first time in six years.
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William Coakley
- Cataracts
- 17/03/2023
William said the whole experience cost him around €4,500 but he can reclaim it on his insurance. Had he opted to go private in Ireland, it would have cost him at least €6,000.
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Catherine Maher
- Hernia Treatment
- 03/09/2023
“In Spain they still have that ethos of looking after people with doctors speaking with you on your level and with empathy. In Ireland it’s all about the money.
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Anita Kucan
- Bunion Surgery
- 03/09/2023
“I thought it was too good to be true but I checked all the testimonials and just went with it.” Anita says the hospital, the Healthcare Abroad carer-drivers, surgeon Dr van Rijn and the hotel staff were all phenomenal. “I will be back with Healthcare Abroad again to have my other foot fixed,” says Anita.
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Joan Mullen
- Knee Replacement
- 10/09/2023
“We were out in Spain within weeks and it has just been the best decision ever." Joan flew to Alicante and was provided with a private transfer to her hotel in Denia. “The drivers aren’t just drivers. They are carers as well. They really look after you,” says Joan.
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Ciara Anne Shanahan
- Knee Replacement
- 12/03/2023
I'm back working in my job educating children. I am also travelling again, cycling, swimming and doing the things that I love. “None of this would have been possible without Healthcare Abroad. If I hadn't made this decision I would still be on an endless waiting list with no pain relief.
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Marek Kaminski
- Hip Replacement
- 10/09/2023
“I had been in pain for 10 years and now it’s gone,” says Marek, after his surgery. “I cannot thank Healthcare Abroad enough. They are amazing people. They looked after everything for me.
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Olive Begg
- Knee Replacement
- 05/09/2023
I am so glad I called Healthcare Abroad. It was the best call to make. The level of service from start to finish was absolutely outstanding.
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Lorraine Doyle
- Arthroscopy
- 17/09/2023
“The service in Spain is first class. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. I’d say to anyone in pain to call the Healthcare Abroad people and get yourself sorted.”
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Bernadette Conway
- Knee Replacement
- 18/09/2023
"The Healthcare Abroad team has been absolutely outstanding from start to finish," said Bernadette. "I cannot thank you all enough."
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Jeanne Jackson
- Knee Replacement
- 10/09/2023
“I looked at all the testimonials on Facebook and I’ll be telling everyone I meet who needs help to call Healthcare Abroad. And if anyone wants to contact me for more information, I would be happy to talk to them, to tell them that it’s all true - that it’s amazing.”
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Nichola Kitteringham
- 05/09/2023
The pain has gone. I can walk again. I’m in really super form and looking forward to living properly again. “I highly recommend Healthcare Abroad. Chris and his team are fantastic, helpful, caring and so friendly. I will never again sit on a waiting list when I know now all I have to do is lift the phone and have the surgery within weeks in Spain.
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Billy Henshaw
- Bunion Surgery
- 21/09/2023
The whole service, the drivers were incredible. Even in the evenings Scott was always around to take patients or relatives to the hospital and back or into the town for a meal.
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Aidan Goodfellow
- 12/09/2023
“I was told I would have to wait THREE years in Ireland to see a consultant and I might have to wait another FIVE years. That would have been a wait of 8 years – I called Healthcare Abroad and was sorted in just 8 weeks.
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Ross McCarthy
- Knee Replacement
- 03/09/2023
I couldn’t believe how straight forward it was to go to Spain with Healthcare Abroad. Everything was made easy for me. Dr Jordy van Rijn could have sent me home again if he wanted to, rather than deal with the fact I had MRSA in the past. He didn’t. He did everything to ensure that there was no reoccurrence.
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Bernadette Carroll
- 24/09/2023
I was pain-free from the moment I had the operation. Even when the medication wore off, I’ve had no pain. Dr Morales is a miracle man. I can’t thank him and the Homecare Abroad Hospital team enough, including Dr van Rijn and Dr Henkel.
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Angela Carley
- 02/10/2023
“My advice to anyone who has had an operation cancelled is to call Healthcare Abroad. They are the best. I actually got a call from a Dublin hospital while I was in Spain asking me if I wanted to stay on the waiting list. Thankfully I don’t.”
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Rebecca Gray
- 27/09/2023
I’ve had my back surgery. The pain which was killing me has gone. The feeling I had lost in my legs has returned and I am looking forward again. I’ve gotten my life back again.
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Fergal McDonagh
- 27/09/2023
“I want to thank everyone for all their help. It is a pretty amazing service with Healthcare Abroad and I’d say to anyone in a similar position to get on that plane to Spain. You won’t regret it.”
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Maureen Murphy
- Knee Replacement
- 18/01/2024
My GP was delighted with my surgery and blown away by my recovery. I was back doing activities fairly quickly after getting home. My physio was very impressed - getting so many physio sessions in Denia straight after surgery made the difference.
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Seamus Kearney
- 17/09/2023
The level of service from Healthcare Abroad is incredible. The surgeons they have access to are world class. And I got to see a world class surgeon. “I am now looking forward to being back on my feet again and being able just to get about again and going for a walk without being in pain. It is going to make such a difference to my life.”
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Carraig Roberts
- Shoulder Procedures
- 01/10/2023
Healthcare Abroad had linked me with an amazing shoulder specialist Dr Alfredo Sánchez Martin and he explained everything to me. It will take a few months to get over the surgery and back to my work as a barber; and hopefully I can get back to sport in around 10 months’ time.
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Thomas McGuirk
- Hip Replacement
- 08/10/2023
“I want to thank everyone at Healthcare Abroad for absolutely everything. The service provided is second to none. The carers and drivers, the entire team in Denia is superb. The hospital was fantastic too; and the physio team was outstanding.
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Elaine Bermingham
- Hip Replacement
- 06/10/2023
“This is my second time in Spain. Dr Lopez did my first hip replacement in March; this time Dr Jordy carried out the operation. “The level of service provided by Healthcare Abroad is absolutely exceptional; from the first call way back in February right through until now – a second hip replaced and 10 more amazing physio sessions later.
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Áine Ní Dhomhnaill
- Knee Replacement
- 21/10/2023
In Spain the aftercare programme is what I wanted and I have to say it was second to none. “The team in the Healthcare Abroad Hospital is fantastic. I had 2 physio sessions every day in the week after surgery. The following week I did 2 more sessions per day. “I can’t find the words to describe how amazing the physiotherapists are.
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Terry Finnie
- Hip Replacement
- 27/09/2023
My wife is a great judge – and she was certainly right about going to Spain with Healthcare Abroad.“The service was phenomenal throughout. You are looked after all the way. You can’t beat it.”
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Briain Walsh
- Hernia Treatment
- 17/05/2023
“My experience has been outstanding. The hotel was lovely. The weather was superb. It’s really hard to believe – but it’s all real, and all brilliant.”
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Patient Stories

Thomas Keegan

Derek Byrne

Concepta Corrigan

Derek Clarke

Sorcha Baliczki

Linda O'Shea

Alan Fleming

Aidan Draper

Jennifer Pierce

Aileen Whyte

Richard

Patrick Kinsella

Bernadette O’Riordan

Christine Conlon

Michael Robinson

Alex Sardi

John Bennett

Patricia Kirwan

Tommy Roche

Dinah Nolan

Mark McKenna

Tony Hickey

Rory O'Sullivan

Ken O'Grady

Neil Myers

Robert Delaney

Gary Fortune

William Coakley

Catherine Maher

Anita Kucan

Joan Mullen

Ciara Anne Shanahan

Marek Kaminski

Olive Begg

Lorraine Doyle

Bernadette Conway

Jeanne Jackson

Nichola Kitteringham

Billy Henshaw

Aidan Goodfellow

Ross McCarthy

Bernadette Carroll

Angela Carley

Rebecca Gray

Fergal McDonagh

Maureen Murphy

Seamus Kearney

Carraig Roberts

Thomas McGuirk

Elaine Bermingham

Áine Ní Dhomhnaill

Terry Finnie

Briain Walsh