Health Check-Up

VIP Check-Up

The VIP package differs from the standard one in two substantive ways: it includes gastroscopy and colonoscopy under sedation, and it gives you unhurried time with each specialist across two days rather than a compressed single day. Everything else that changes is comfort — real, but worth naming for what it is.

What the premium actually buys

Two things of genuine clinical value. First, endoscopy: gastroscopy and colonoscopy under sedation, which cannot be fitted into a one-day package because colonoscopy needs bowel preparation the night before. Colonoscopy is the cancer screening test with the strongest evidence of all, so including it is a real upgrade rather than a badge.

Second, time. A one-day check-up is efficient but compressed; consultations run to schedule and there is little room to explore a question in depth. Spreading the same work across two days gives each specialist a longer appointment and gives you space to ask what you actually came to ask. For people with a complicated history, that is worth more than any additional test.

What is added over the standard package

Gastroscopy

Direct examination of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum under sedation, with biopsies where needed. Detects reflux damage, ulcers, Helicobacter pylori and early gastric changes — particularly relevant if you have reflux, a family history of stomach cancer, or come from a high-incidence region.

Colonoscopy

The single most valuable component. It both detects bowel cancer early and prevents it, because polyps found during the examination are removed on the spot before they can become malignant. Recommended from age 45, and earlier with a family history.

Extended specialist time

Longer appointments with internal medicine, cardiology and the relevant organ specialist, plus a final consultation that is scheduled rather than squeezed in. This is where a complex history actually gets discussed.

Comfort and logistics

A private suite, a dedicated coordinator, transfers, meals and interpreting. Genuinely pleasant and genuinely not medical — worth paying for if you value it, but it should be priced separately in your mind from the endoscopy.

Who it suits — and who does not need it

Adults over 45 who are due for bowel cancer screening and have not had a colonoscopy
Anyone with reflux, unexplained anaemia, altered bowel habit or unexplained weight loss — although these are symptoms and may need targeted investigation rather than screening
A family history of bowel or stomach cancer, particularly in a first-degree relative
People with a complex medical history who need genuine consultation time, not a conveyor belt
Travellers who prefer two unhurried days to one compressed one
Not needed for a healthy 32-year-old with no symptoms and no family history — the standard package is the better and more honest choice
Not a substitute for targeted investigation if you already have a symptom that worries you

Preparation

Day one: fast 10–12 hours for bloods and abdominal ultrasound; water allowed
Day one evening: bowel preparation for the colonoscopy — a laxative solution taken in divided doses, which is the least pleasant part of the two days and the one people most often underestimate
A clear-liquid diet for the whole of day one evening; no solid food after lunch
Blood thinners: aspirin can usually continue, but clopidogrel, warfarin and direct anticoagulants need a specific plan agreed in advance with the endoscopist
Diabetes medication needs adjusting on the preparation day; ask before travelling, not on arrival
Bring previous endoscopy or colonoscopy reports if you have had them — the interval to the next one depends on what was found last time
Arrange for someone to accompany you on day two; sedation means you cannot travel alone afterwards

How the two days run

Day one mirrors the standard package: fasting bloods first thing, then imaging, ECG and echocardiogram, specialist consultations, and the cardiology assessment. You eat after the bloods, then move to clear liquids from the afternoon and begin bowel preparation in the evening.

Day two is the endoscopy, done under sedation so you are asleep for it and remember nothing. Gastroscopy takes about ten minutes, colonoscopy twenty to thirty. Polyps found are removed during the procedure and sent for histology. You rest for an hour or two, eat, and then have the final consultation — which now includes what was seen inside as well as everything from day one.

Duration and practicalities

Duration: two days, roughly 08:00–16:00 on day one and 08:00–14:00 on day two
Stay in the country: three nights — arrive the evening before, leave the day after the endoscopy
Sedation on day two: no driving, no signing anything legally binding, and no flying for 24 hours
A companion is required for discharge after sedation
Bowel preparation the evening of day one; plan a quiet evening in the hotel
Results: everything except biopsy histology on day two; histology within about a week
Interpreter throughout, and the written report issued in English with translation available

After the endoscopy

The same afternoon

Grogginess from the sedation for an hour or two, and some bloating and wind from the air used during the examination. Both settle quickly. You eat normally once fully awake unless a polyp was removed, in which case a light diet for a day is advised.

Polyp removed

Common and good news — it means a future cancer was prevented, not that one was found. The tissue goes to histology, and the result determines when your next colonoscopy is due, typically three to five years rather than ten.

Waiting for histology

About a week. You will already know what the endoscopist saw and what they think it is; the histology confirms it. Results are sent to you in writing and, with your consent, directly to your own doctor so nothing is lost in translation or transit.

What you take home

Everything from the standard package — the written report, the raw laboratory values, the imaging and its reports — plus the endoscopy report with photographs of what was seen, and the histology once it is ready. Where a polyp was removed, you also leave with a defined interval for your next colonoscopy.

That interval is the part worth keeping safe. Bowel screening works because it is repeated on schedule, and the schedule depends on what was found this time. A colonoscopy done once and never followed up delivers a fraction of its value.

Risks and limitations

Endoscopy carries a small but real risk of bleeding or perforation, higher when polyps are removed — around one in a thousand for diagnostic colonoscopy
Sedation risks are low but not zero, and rise with sleep apnoea, obesity and heart or lung disease
Bowel preparation causes cramping, and dehydration if you do not drink enough alongside it
A normal colonoscopy does not exclude cancer elsewhere; it examines the large bowel only
Small polyps can be missed, particularly if preparation was incomplete — which is why preparation matters more than it seems
The comfort component of the package has no clinical value, and should not be confused with better medicine
As with any check-up, false positives and incidental findings are inevitable

Cost and whether it is worth it

The VIP package costs substantially more than the standard one, and the honest breakdown is roughly this: the endoscopy is a genuine clinical addition with strong evidence behind it; the extended consultation time is valuable if your history warrants it; the suite, the transfers and the private coordinator are comfort. All three can be worth paying for — but you should know which you are buying.

Whether gastroscopy and colonoscopy are both included, or only one
Whether sedation and the anaesthetist's fee are inside the price
Whether polyp removal and histology are included, or billed if something is found
The itemised list of everything else, as with the standard package
Whether the final consultation is with a physician and how long it is scheduled for
What is comfort and what is clinical — ask the clinic to separate them
What happens, and what it costs, if the endoscopy finds something needing immediate treatment

If you are under 45 with no symptoms, buy the standard package

The main clinical reason to choose VIP is the endoscopy, and endoscopy is not recommended as screening for people under 45 with no symptoms and no family history. Paying the premium for comfort is a legitimate personal choice; paying it in the belief that more tests means more safety is not. We will tell you which package your situation actually calls for, even when it is the cheaper one.

Frequently asked questions

Is the colonoscopy painful?

Not under sedation, which is standard here. You are asleep for the twenty to thirty minutes it takes and remember nothing afterwards. The unpleasant part is the bowel preparation the night before — most patients describe the preparation as far worse than the procedure.

Is VIP worth the extra money?

It depends entirely on whether you need the endoscopy. If you are over 45 and due for bowel screening, yes — colonoscopy is the single most valuable preventive test in medicine and the package delivers it properly. If you are 35 with no symptoms, the extra money buys comfort and a longer conversation, both real but neither medical.

Can I do the endoscopy without the whole package?

Yes. If bowel screening is the only thing you need, gastroscopy and colonoscopy can be arranged on their own over two days without the rest of the check-up. It costs considerably less, and for a patient whose only gap is bowel screening it is the more sensible option. Ask for it — we will not upsell you into a package you do not need.

How soon can I fly after the endoscopy?

After 24 hours, which is why the package assumes three nights. Sedation affects judgement and coordination for the rest of the day, and if a polyp was removed there is a small risk of delayed bleeding in the first 24 to 48 hours — better to be in the same city as the endoscopist if that happens.

Have your case reviewed before you decide anything

Send your photographs and medical history. A board-certified surgeon reviews them and comes back with an honest assessment of what is achievable, which technique suits you, and an itemised written quote — before any money changes hands.

Get a FREE Second Opinion

This page provides general information about this procedure; it is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment recommendation. Capital Oncology Group is a care-coordination service and not a medical provider. All procedures are performed by independent, accredited hospitals and licensed physicians, and the decision to operate must be made by a qualified surgeon after examining you individually.