Increasingly patients from Northern Ireland are mixing surgery with a trip abroad. In the last number of years we have increasingly been consulted by individuals who have sought medical or dental treatment abroad. In a survey carried out by “Which?” magazine it was noted that while 57% of Respondents said that they were very satisfied with treatment received abroad, 18% experienced problems. It is important when agreeing to undertake surgery abroad that the prospective patient is made fully aware of the procedure which he or she is due to undergo, the risks of the procedure, the treatment involved, the cost of treatment of complications, the qualifications and experience of the clinicians including specialist knowledge, rates of success etc. In the event that a patient suffers injury during the course of treatment abroad, if the treatment has been procured through a company based in the UK, you may be able to use the UK Courts. If however treatment is arranged in another European country, then in all likelihood you will be obliged to proceed in that state. Standards and laws differ throughout the world and outside of the European Union you may have less legal protection. Obviously if something goes wrong abroad, the language barrier may add an additional hurdle to successfully seeking compensation in respect of care. Campbell Fitzpatrick have experience of advising Plaintiffs who have met with such medical difficulties as a consequence of treatment received abroad.