British patients often ask this question. This is mainly due to the fact that private clinics in the UK are run on a more commercial basis. Large budgets are allocated for advertising in various expensive women's magazines. This results in huge numbers of telephone calls which are handled by secretaries. Every day they send out numerous beautiful and therefore expensive information brochures. A lot of people then come for initial consultations but only a small proportion of them actually have surgical procedures. This obviously drives up operating costs.
What is more, premises in the UK are often much more expensive and many private clinics in the UK have a medical and commercial director, holding companies and shareholders.
In Belgium, on the contrary, almost all private clinics are run by one or two doctors. They usually started working in hospitals and their private practice has grown gradually over the years as a result of word-of-mouth publicity. The Orde der Geneesheren (Belgian Medical Association), a powerful institution that monitors the ethical behaviour of Belgian doctors, does not allow advertising of any kind.
Word-of-mouth publicity costs nothing and a very large percentage of patients actually have an operation after their first consultation.