Prostate surgery: what affects the cost and how to request a personalised quote

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0:00 Doctor, how much will the operation cost me? It is a legitimate question that every patient asks, and I believe it deserves an honest answer. Today, I am going to be transparent about the factors that influence the cost of prostate surgery.

0:14 I am Doctor Fernando Gómez-Sancha, I have spent more than thirty-two years in Urology. I have performed over ten thousand prostate laser surgeries and I lead ICUA, the Institute of Advanced Urological Surgery in Madrid.

0:27 What I am going to tell you is the reality of the current situation in Spain. In the Spanish public health system, you can have prostate surgery at no direct cost; your taxes cover it, it is your right.

0:39 The problem is twofold: waiting lists are one factor; depending on the autonomous community where you live, you could wait months. And the second thing is the technique. Most public hospitals offer transurethral resection of the prostate, the classic transurethral resection.

0:59 Uhm, few public centres have the technology and the experience necessary to perform HoLEP. Although this is gradually changing, that is still the reality in many hospital centres today.

1:11 In the private sector, prices will vary according to several factors. The first is the technique. A transurethral resection is not the same as a prostate laser enucleation. The holmium laser is sophisticated and expensive equipment, and the surgeon's training to master it takes years, and that will be reflected in the cost.

1:31 The second is the surgeon's experience, and I say this without hesitation, it is important. In surgery, as in everything, experience makes the difference in the results. A surgeon who has performed one hundred laser enucleations does not get the same results as one who has performed five thousand.

1:50 The third factor is the hospital centre. The fees for the operating theatre, anaesthesia, stay, and medication vary between hospitals. There is another associated cost, which is the pathology report.

2:05 It is not a fixed price because every case is different. Contact us with your medical details and we will prepare a personalised quote for you. For international patients, we at ICUA have a very well-established process.

2:19 We receive patients from all over Europe, the Persian Gulf, and Latin America. We do a prior video consultation, the patient sends their reports, we discuss all the details, they travel to Madrid, have surgery, and in about three or four days they can return home.

2:38 Madrid, moreover, is a very well-connected city, with good health infrastructures and a reasonable cost of living compared to other European countries. Now I want to talk to you about something I consider more important than the price: the value.

2:54 What is worth more, a surgery that solves the problem definitively or years of medication with side effects and the possibility of ending up having surgery anyway? I always say the same thing: the most expensive surgery is the one that does not work, the one that forces you back to the operating theatre, the one that leaves you with symptoms, the one that does not solve your problem.

3:16 That is why it is so important to choose well, not just the price, but the technique and the surgeon. If you have questions about costs or want your case assessed, you have the link to our website in the description, where you can find out more about what, what we do at ICUA.

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