Britons should think twice before going abroad for cut-price cosmetic surgery such as Brazilian bum lifts, Wes Streeting has warned.
The Health Secretary said patients risk sub-standard care that could leave them with devastating life-changing injuries.
The NHS is already under enough pressure without having to pick up the pieces of botched treatment overseas, he added.
The minister pledged to work with ‘international partners’ to improve safety for those who ignore his advice and jet-off for procedures including boob jobs, tummy tucks and dental treatment.
His comments come days after an inquest heard how Hayley Dowel, 38, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, suffered an embolism and died last October following ops including a Brazilian bum lift (BBL) in Turkey. The surgeon allegedly walked out halfway through the procedure, which cost her £7,000.
Shannon Bowe, 28, from Falkirk, died in 2023 after botched gastric band surgery in the country.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said patients risk sub-standard care that could leave them with devastating life-changing injuries should they opt for cut-price ‘bum lifts’
Shannon Bowe, a 28-year-old from Falkirk, unfortunately passed away during a botched weight-loss surgery in Turkey last year
Britons have been flocking to Turkey to take advantage of cut-price medical treatments in recent years
Foreign Office data shows that 28 Britons have died in Turkey following planned surgery since 2019. Mr Streeting told the NHS Providers annual conference in Liverpool: ‘I think we need to take seriously this issue of medical negligence and malpractice overseas.
‘My strong advice to British travellers is, if the offer looks too good to be true, I suspect it’s too good to be true – and think very carefully before flying overseas, paying what looks like a kind of rock bottom attractive price… you may end up paying the consequences for years to come.’
He urged Britons to ‘manage the risks, to do their homework’, adding: ‘This is another pressure that the NHS does not need.’
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director at NHS England, said of BBLs: ‘Not only are they potentially fatal, having the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures, but dodgy “tweakments” and surgeries are leaving the NHS to repair the damage and taxpayers to foot the bill.’
Research by experts at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, suggests two in three patients who suffer complications after overseas cosmetic surgery regretted their decision.
Some 83 per cent of respondents cited the lower cost as the main reason for jetting abroad. The Foreign Office says anyone considering travelling to Turkey for treatment should discuss the plans with their own doctor or dentist.
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