Andy Cochrane (48) from South Norwood in London, may not know it, but he could be in the vanguard of a new British invasion of Bulgaria.

His story is as follows:

"I was spending Christmas with some Bulgarian friends in Veliko Turnovo. A recurring pain in my lower abdomen flared up and my friends suggested I see a doctor. I was frankly sceptical; I'd visited my own general practitioner (GP) back in London on three separate occasions with the pain, blood tests and urine tests were taken and I was sent away with a prescription for antibiotics. So, like most Brits, I had a great deal of confidence in our health service, and (patronisingly perhaps) felt that there was little point in seeing a Bulgarian physician. However, the pain became quite severe so eventually I was persuaded to visit my Bulgarian friends' GP.

My first surprise was to find the surgery to be bright and modern. More pleasant surprises followed. Instead of sitting in an overcrowded and unhealthy waiting room for hours, I was seen almost immediately. Through an interpreter I explained my problem to the surgeon, he examined me and within a remarkably short space of time confidently pronounced that I had a double hernia, a diagnosis not even mentioned or apparently considered by my own GP in England. He explained that if I was willing to undergo a medical check up, providing I was fit enough, corrective surgery could be carried out whenever I elected to undergo it. I asked for the cost of the procedure, and was told 300 euro. I thanked him and told him I'd get back to him.

"I was still wary of undergoing surgery in a foreign country. I decided to call my GP back in England and arrange to have the necessary operation over there upon my return. I was informed by my GP that I would have to be referred to a consultant, who, if he confirmed the hernia diagnosis, would request an operation to repair it. The whole process from start to finish could take anywhere between eight to 10 months! I thanked my GP for the information and immediately got online to find out if there was a faster alternative to be had in the UK. There was: going private meant that I could have the operation carried out quite quickly, but when I checked costs on the website of the UK's biggest private health provider, I was in for a shock. I would require an initial consultation with them costing from between 300 to 750 leva, and typical costs for a hernia repair varied from between 4500 to 7200 leva. My friends' GP was asking 600 leva!

"It wasn't just the cost which decided me, I was in pain. So I took the plunge and booked up my operation in Bulgaria. Within a few days, I was operated on in a clean, state-of-the-art surgery, discharged and given after care until my return to the UK. I will be telling my friends about the competency and care shown in my treatment."