Nurse saves $60,000 having robotic hip surgery in India, says NZ’s health system ‘third world’

Tuesday, 1 July 2025

A Kiwi nurse who had a double robotic hip replacement in Mumbai three weeks ago says India is fabulous, but doing good research is essential.

Claire Olsen says she was told she would have to wait for years or pay $80,000 to have the operation in New Zealand.

She said compared to India’s hospitals New Zealand’s are “third world.”

A nurse, who needed a double hip replacement and had to wait “years” or pay “$80,000 in New Zealand”, instead had robotic surgery in India for $20,000. She says hospitals there are more advanced than our “third world system”.

“Its private hospitals are world class, internationally accredited, with top surgeons, many who’ve worked around the world, and advanced tech and equipment that we don’t even have in NZ,” said Claire Olsen, a registered nurse for 40 years in both public and private settings.

“I was not put off having surgery in what’s seen as an undeveloped country - it’s our own health system that is third world,” the 65-year old told Stuff, who arrived back in NZ just three weeks later.

Before her trip to India, Tauranga-based Olsen was in crippling arthritic pain, struggled to walk, and yet was told she might wait up to five years for a double hip replacement, as her GP referral bounced back.

A quote from a private hospital was $80,000, she said.

“If I waited five years I’d be in agony, immobile and pre-diabetic. If I paid $80,000 I’d be mobile, but with no money to go anywhere. That was for a standard hip replacement, when it’s recognised that the best procedure is robot assisted.”

Do you know more? Email Annemarie.quill@stuff.co.nz

A robotic double hip replacement in Mumbai cost her $20,000.

“It’s more accurate and there’s less cutting of muscles, so you’re mobile straight away. I was on crutches two days after, no pain.”

Twenty days after the operation, she was walking around freely without support.

“People who have hip replacements here take much longer to recover, and it’s painful, whereas the robotic system is less invasive, and you’re awake, so recovery is a breeze.

“A few days out of hospital I was out shopping and drinking Aperol Spritz in a grand hotel.”

Olsen’s advice to others considering India is do your research, and don’t go alone. She was accompanied by friend, travel agent Jackie Brown who takes people to Thailand for cosmetic procedures, and to Mexico for bariatric surgery.

“I went as a friend, not in my professional capacity, but I was curious about the hospitals and standards”, Brown told Stuff.

“They were the best I’d seen. I shared a room with Claire while she was recovering, and a cleaner came in every two hours. She had so many attentive nurses and visits from the surgeon, we joked that we should get cheese and biscuits to offer our constant visitors.”

Olsen’s consultant orthopaedic surgeon in India, Dr Murdit Kanna, specialises in robotic joint replacements using Mako Robotics.

Kanna has worked in the UK public health system, and trained in robot assisted surgery in Germany and America.

Anthony Maher performed NZ’s first robot-assisted hip replacement surgery in Auckland’s private Franklin hospital in 2023.

Since then he’s done 50, and says accuracy makes it a preferred method, with less tissue damage and better recovery.

Yet there’s only one robotic machine in the public system at North Shore hospital, which Maher says is semi-private.

He sees both public and private patients, but increasingly sees “self-funded patients”, in pain waiting in the public system, with no health insurance.

“The waiting time is getting longer for people to even get to see us after a GP referral, or they might be bounced back.”

He says he is aware India has “excellent doctors and an advanced private health system”, but like Olsen, says do your research.

“The surgeon’s credentials obviously, but ask which robotic machine it is too, as five are accepted as the best - Mako that Claire had is one.”

He was surprised at the low cost of the surgery in India.

“Here costs of everything have gone up. I’ve not changed my rates for years - and many surgeons don’t, but hospital costs have soared, equipment, and the costs we doctors don’t get involved in that are set by managers, are all going up.

“I was doing a man’s hips, but spaced out, and even in a year the cost of the second one was significantly more.”

Hip operations are around $20,000 - $30,000 each, but costs of anaesthetists, equipment and hospital stays can increase cost, he says.

Stuff put Olsen’s description of the NZ health system as “third world” to Maher, and he said he understands why people think that.

“Surgeons just want to help people. I’d love to see every patient who needs surgery straight away, or at least in a reasonable time, but I know there are frustrations with the system that can really only be solved fiscally and politically.”

While there are risks of having any surgery in another country, such as infection, deep vein thrombosis during flights, and other complications, Maher can see the lure of cheaper surgery abroad.

“What she paid is so low, there’s nothing comparable here. We all want good outcomes for patients, let’s hope it continues.”

Stuff asked Minister of Health Simeon Brown to comment on Olsen’s views, and about Kiwis going overseas for medical treatment.

Brown acknowledged that no one wants to be left waiting in pain or uncertainty, and that this is disruptive for patients and their families. He also agreed that “far too many Kiwis have been waiting too long for life-changing procedures like hip and knee replacements or cataract surgeries”.

His priority as Minister he says is to improve access to timely healthcare, and to partner with the private sector “to get more procedures done, faster”. His targets, he says, have been surpassed already and more surgical announcements are pending, he says.