'Greek luxury for NHS patients'

A state-of-the-art hospital with individual hotel-style rooms could soon be treating NHS patients - in northern Greece.

The Interbalkan Medical Centre in Thessaloniki was established to attract overseas patients even before Health Secretary Alan Milburn announced that up to 100,000 NHS patients may be sent abroad.

Now managers at the centre, who have teamed up with Operations Abroad, a UK-based company specialising in arranging overseas treatment packages for private patients, are preparing to negotiate with the Department of Health about treating as many as 25,000 NHS patients next year.

A Department of Health spokeswoman confirmed that a meeting with Interbalkan representatives had taken place.

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