The new Labour Party government has stepped in to warn UK tourists to “think twice” about holidays to a popular hotspot. Labour Party government MP and Health Secretary Wes Streeting has issued a stark warning to Britons about the dangers of cut-price cosmetic surgery in Turkey.
Mr Streeting spoke out after a spate of deaths among women who had travelled to Turkey for aesthetic treatment such as a Brazilian butt lift (BBL). An inquest this week in Winchester, Hampshire, heard that Hayley Dowell, 38, died in October last year after paying £7,000 to have the procedure, as well as liposuction and a tummy tuck.
At least six British nationals died in Turkey during 2023 after travelling for medical procedures, prompting urgent calls for improved safety measures. “My strong advice to British travellers is, if the offer looks too good to be true, I suspect it is too good to be true,” Streeting said. “[People should] think very carefully before flying overseas, paying what looks like a kind of rock-bottom attractive price, because you may end up paying the consequences for years to come as a result of injuries, which in the worst cases can be life-changing.
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“So I would urge before travelling abroad, think very carefully before accessing those cosmetic treatments that are currently being marketed at rock-bottom prices, but also, in too many cases, offer substandard care.”
Streeting plans to work with organisations overseas to try to improve the safety and quality of care at hospitals and clinics that provide medical tourism. “But we also need to send a strong message to the British public to manage the risks, to do their homework and think very carefully before taking up offers that are too good to be true,” he said.
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, also urged caution, said: “It is not fair that the NHS is left to pick up the pieces of botched Brazilian butt lifts. Not only are they potentially fatal, having the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures, but dodgy procedures mean the NHS then has to repair the damage, landing taxpayers with a hefty bill too.
“NHS resources are precious, and I’d urge anyone considering a BBL to think twice before taking up an offer that seems too good to be true.”
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