New Zealand nurse flies to India for 20,000 dollar robotic hip surgery— ‘Indian hospitals were amazing’
Tired of waiting years or paying 80,000 dollars in New Zealand, a retired nurse flew to India for affordable robotic hip surgery—recovering in days and calling Indian hospitals ‘world class.’
A 65-year-old New Zealand nurse says she found better, faster, and more affordable healthcare in India than she could get at home. After being told she might wait up to five years for a double hip replacement in New Zealand or pay 80,000 dollars at a private hospital, Claire Olsen decided to fly to Mumbai, where she had robot-assisted surgery for just 20,000 dollars.
The result: She was walking within two days, had no pain, and was back home in three weeks.
“I wasn’t worried about going to an ‘undeveloped’ country,” Olsen told Stuff news. “It’s our own health system that feels third world.”
A long wait or an expensive bill
Olsen, who has worked as a nurse in both public and private hospitals for over 40 years, had been struggling with severe arthritis and could barely walk. But when her GP referral for surgery was sent, it got bounced back.
She was told the wait time for surgery could be up to five years in the public system.
She also got a quote from a private hospital: 80,000 dollars for a standard double hip replacement, not even the more advanced robotic version.
“If I waited five years, I’d be in constant pain and barely able to move,” Olsen said. “If I spent 80,000 dollars, I’d be able to walk, but I’d have no money left to live my life,” she told Stuff news.
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World-class care in Mumbai
So instead, she booked surgery in India, where she paid just 20,000 dollars for a robotic hip replacement at a private hospital in Mumbai. The procedure was done by Dr. Mudit Khanna, a specialist in robotic joint replacement who has worked in the UK, Germany, and the US.
Olsen said she was walking with crutches just two days after surgery and was pain-free. Within 20 days, she could walk normally without any support.
“The robotic system is more accurate and doesn’t cut through as many muscles,” she explained it in a media interaction to Stuff News. “It’s less invasive, and recovery is much faster.”
“People here in NZ take weeks or months to recover and often deal with a lot of pain. I was out shopping and drinking Aperol Spritz at a hotel just a few days after I left the hospital!”
‘The Indian hospitals were amazing’
Olsen didn’t travel alone, her friend Jackie Brown, a travel agent who helps clients go overseas for cosmetic or weight-loss surgery, came with her for support.
“I wasn’t working in a professional capacity. But I was really curious to see the hospital,” Brown told Stuff news
What she saw amazed her. “It was the best hospital I’ve ever been to,” she said. “The room was cleaned every two hours. Claire had attentive nurses checking on her constantly, and the surgeon visited often.”
Robotic surgery still rare in New Zealand
In New Zealand, robot-assisted hip surgery is still new. Surgeon Anthony Maher performed the country’s first robotic hip replacement in 2023 at a private hospital in Auckland. Since then, he has done 50 such surgeries.
He says the technology helps reduce tissue damage and speeds up recovery. But there’s a problem: only one robot exists in the public health system, at North Shore Hospital, and that’s in a semi-private setting.
Maher now sees more and more patients who are self-funding their surgeries because they can’t wait years and don’t have insurance.
“The delays are getting worse,” he said. “Even getting referred by your GP doesn’t guarantee you’ll be seen.”
Do proper research before travelling overseas for treatment: Surgeon
Maher agrees that India has high-quality hospitals and skilled doctors, but he urges people to do proper research before flying overseas for surgery.
“Check your surgeon’s background, and ask what type of robot they’re using,” he said. “There are five top ones, and the Mako robot, which Claire had, is one of them.”
He was also shocked at the low cost of her surgery in India.
“That price is unheard of here,” Maher said. “The costs in New Zealand keep rising. Even if I don’t raise my fees, hospital and equipment charges keep going up. There’s no comparison.”
A hip replacement in New Zealand typically costs 20,000 to 30,000 dollars per hip, and that doesn’t include hospital stays, anaesthesia, or recovery care.
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New Zealand Health Minister responds
New Zealand’s Minister of Health, Simeon Brown, responded to Olsen’s story and the growing trend of Kiwis travelling overseas for surgery.
“No one wants to be stuck in pain or uncertainty,” he told Stuff news. “Too many people have waited too long for surgeries like hip and knee replacements.”
Brown said his focus is to reduce wait times by working with private providers to deliver more surgeries faster.
He also said the government’s current targets for surgeries have already been exceeded, and more plans will be announced soon.
Advice to others: Don’t be scared
Olsen said her experience should encourage others to consider overseas options—but only if they’ve done their homework.
“Do your research. Talk to people who’ve done it. Don’t go alone,” she said. “But don’t be scared of India. Their private hospitals are cleaner, more advanced, and better run than what we get here.”
She believes that many New Zealanders still think of India as a developing country, but based on her experience, India’s private healthcare is ahead of New Zealand’s public system.
“Honestly, we’re the ones with the third world system,” Olsen said.
