Patient journey

The path, written in the order it actually happens.

Timelines below are typical for an elective case with complete records. Oncology, visa complexity, or missing imaging will stretch them. We would rather give you a longer honest date than a short decorative one.

Day 0

First enquiry

You send the procedure, a brief history, and whatever reports you have. Preferred dates and a budget band help; they are not required.

Obeocure handles: encrypted intake, assignment of a named coordinator in London or Kochi, a completeness check within four working hours (UK) or two (IST).

Day 0–2

What we still need

Most files are missing something: a recent MRI, an echo, histopathology, a medication list. We ask once, in a single note, so you are not drip-fed requests.

Obeocure handles: a records checklist specific to the procedure. You handle: obtaining notes from your GP or consultant. We can write the request letter.

Day 2–6

Medical opinion

Your file goes to at least two partner specialists, unless you have already chosen a named surgeon. You receive their written view: whether they would operate or treat, what else they need, and a proposed approach in plain English with the medical terms attached.

Obeocure handles: hospital selection against our panel rules, translation of the opinion into a family-readable note, a video call with the consultant if you want one. We do not collapse two opinions into a single “recommendation” unless they genuinely agree.

Day 5–10

Cost estimate

A package in sterling: hospital, surgeon, anaesthesia, standard implant or drug class, room type, stated ICU nights, companion stay, airport transfers, coordinator. A second column lists exclusions — flights, complications beyond the cap, long-stay, non-standard implants.

Obeocure handles: the quote and a side-by-side with typical UK private bands and NHS waits. You decide. Nothing is reserved until you say so.

Week 2–4

Visa and travel

India issues a medical visa (and a medical attendant visa for one companion). Processing is usually 3–10 working days if the hospital invitation is complete. We do not control the consulate.

Obeocure handles: hospital invitation, support letter, appointment guidance, flight-window advice (not the ticket unless you ask us to book), airport pickup, SIM, and the first night’s address. You handle: passport validity, consulate biometrics, travel insurance that names the procedure.

Arrival

You are met

A driver with your name, a coordinator on WhatsApp, water, and a straight road to the hospital or the recovery house. Registration is pre-worked so you are not standing at a counter with a ring-binder.

Obeocure handles: transfer, admission liaison, interpreter if needed, a same-day walk-through of the ward and the next 24 hours.

Treatment

The hospital does the medicine

Consent is taken by the treating team. Your coordinator is outside theatre, not inside it. Family updates are agreed in advance — who is called, in which timezone.

Obeocure handles: real-time liaison, companion meals and stay, escalation to Tony’s desk if anything on the ground diverges from the package. The surgeon handles the operation.

Recovery

Enough days, not the fewest days

Fitness to fly is a clinical decision. We will not move a discharge to catch a cheaper fare. Some patients step down to a hospital-adjacent apartment or a Kerala recovery house for a week.

Obeocure handles: step-down booking, physiotherapy slots, wound-care instructions in writing, a review of the bill against the package before you pay the balance.

Return

Home, with the file intact

You leave with operative notes, implant stickers, imaging on disk or link, prescriptions with generic names, and a letter for your GP. Wheelchair assistance is booked if indicated.

Obeocure handles: records pack, airport departure, a same-week call after you land.

Follow-up

The relationship does not end at immigration

Telemedicine with the treating consultant is booked before discharge — typically at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months, then as needed. Your UK GP remains your local doctor.

Obeocure handles: scheduling, record transfer, a route back to the same unit if a revision or second stage is required. We remain the desk, not the clinician.

Emergency and time-critical care is not a medical-tourism pathway. If you need care this week, stay in your home system and call emergency services. We coordinate elective and planned specialist treatment.

What you should plan for

A realistic total time away from home.

Procedure type Pre-op in India Inpatient Before long-haul Typical total
Hip or knee replacement 1–2 days 3–5 days 5–7 days 10–14 days
CABG 2–3 days 6–8 days 5–8 days 14–21 days
Angioplasty 1 day 1–2 days 3–5 days 6–9 days
IVF retrieval / transfer Stimulation may start at home Day care 2–4 days 8–16 days on site
Major oncology surgery 2–4 days Variable Clinical Often 3–5 weeks

Start at step one

Send what you have. We will tell you what is missing.