The website, treatmentabroad. net, provides information to help people decide about travelling abroad for surgery.

“Doctors and nurses are cheaper in other countries, and some equipment costs less,” said Keith Pollard, another director. “Also, if the currency is weak against the pound, you can get some stunning deals.”

He reckons you could save between £2,000 and £4,000 by travelling to the continent for treatment for some conditions.

Belgium is a common destination because it is only a couple of hours away from London and accessible via Eurostar for less than £50 return. The average cost of a gastric bypass is £11,800 in Britain, but only £4,995 in Belgium. A knee replacement costs about £10,300 in this country but only £6,500 in Belgium.

If it’s cosmetic surgery you are after, most countries charge about half what you would have to pay in Britain. A nose job costs between £3,000 and £4,000 in a British private hospital and slightly less in a cosmetic-surgery clinic.

But having an operation is never risk-free, and there can be additional dangers in travelling abroad for treatment.

Dr Ann Robinson, one of the GPs who contributed to the NU Healthcare report, warned that if surgery does not go smoothly, complications may mean you have to extend your trip.

She said: “If major complications keep you in hospital for longer than you thought, or prevent you flying home, you could have the expense of a longer hospital stay or finding accommodation before you fly home. And the daily cost of living may be more than at home.”

Worse still, if things go badly wrong and you want to sue the hospital or surgeon, you have to do it through the courts of the country where you had the operation, using a foreign lawyer and foreign legal system.

A report by McKinsey & Co consultants last year said medical tourism in India would be a £2 billion business by 2012. You can see why when you consider that the cost of treatment in India is much less than in Britain, and the doctors have often trained or worked in British hospitals. The equipment they use is usually the same.

A knee operation in Britain can cost upwards of £10,000 but can be bought for about £4,000 in India, including travel and accommodation.

Such is the growing demand for foreigners seeking surgery that the Indian government has introduced a medical visa, which costs £50 and lets you return to the country up to four times in a year for check-ups and post-operative care.

Checklist if you’re thinking of having surgery abroad:

More information:

people-logistics.com (0800 587 9501); treatmentabroad.net; tajmedicalgroup.co.uk (0800 1076 360);

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