article_snippet: Soaring numbers of people are travelling abroad for treatment to beat NHS waiting lists, experts say.
article_snippet: At least 65,000 patients are now going overseas for surgery and other procedures each year
article_snippet: Many are combining the trip with a holiday, so they can recover in the sun while avoiding awkward questions back home.
article_snippet: The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics estimate that 65,000 patients went abroad for treatment in 2013, paying a combined £129.3million.
article_snippet: It’s very daunting to travel to another country for surgery.
article_snippet: The other is that it has become more socially acceptable to travel abroad for treatment.
article_snippet: The figures for treatment abroad are from the ONS’s annual International Passenger Survey, in which 250,000 people from England and Wales are interviewed.
highlights_snippet: Thousands travel abroad for cheaper surgeries to beat waiting lists .
  
highlights_snippet: At least 65,000 per year are now going overseas for operations .
  