Indian Medical Care

Why my uncle went to India for his surgery

I was talking to my uncle earlier today. Really early, actually. It was one in the morning my time and he woke me up to talk, but I was fine with it because I’ve been trying to get ahold of him without success for days.

My cousin had sent me a couple of pictures of him lying injured in bed without any explanations. I was worried. Had he had an accident? Was he ill?

His trips to India have sometimes been eventful. He once wrecked his mountain bike trying to ford a river in the jungle. He ended up breaking a leg and had to be carried to a nearby village by locals who heard his shouts for help. He was in his 70s at the time.

This time around, though, it turns out he he’d had knee surgery.

Our conversation was short as he was still in pain and therefore on pain killers that made it hard for him to focus, but he told me he had been experiencing knee pain and lack of function for several months. So he had gone to India for a knee transplant.

“Why did you go to India, though?” I asked, baffled.

“Because in Canada I’d have to wait two years,” he said. “It’s socialized medicine.”

“Will they cover your surgery in India?”