Labor MP for North Durham Kevan Jones MP is campaigning for more action to stop ‘cowboy’ surgeons abroad from killing Brits abroad
At least 24 British citizens have died after cosmetic surgery in Turkey.
However, foreign surgeons, unskilled in the UK, are allowed to tour the country as part of cosmetic surgery roadshows, attracting Brits to travel abroad for surgery.
The consequences for patients and the NHS are clear.
When people come home to find they have an infection or have been injured, they naturally turn to the NHS, at an estimated cost of millions of pounds in recent years alone. (Although the Government has not yet registered the real figure).
However, the ministers fail to introduce the necessary regulation to stop these cowboy surgeons.
Anyone providing consultation on medical procedures, including cosmetic surgery, must be registered with a UK authority.
The registry would allow people to officially search for a surgeon, see their qualifications, where they are from, and allow them to make a more informed decision about whether they are putting their health in the hands of an unsafe surgeon.
It could also provide the basis for a better future reparation system for those who are harmed.
Without government action, more people will die and our overburdened NHS will continue to foot the bill when things go wrong.
These days, people often trust online reviews, but they should be treated with caution.
Along with fake positive reviews, some clinics threaten to fine people thousands of pounds if they say anything negative.
Some even include NDAs in pre-surgery agreements, which should be a red flag for anyone looking for a procedure, whether abroad or in the UK.
We also need to crack down on aggressive marketing techniques, which often exploit people’s vulnerabilities.
Terms like ‘mummy makeover’ play on insecurities, and some clinics offer procedures as part of ‘all-in’ packages, with the return flight just a few days later.
Terms like all-inclusive exalt medical tourism and fuel a “celebrity” culture that appeals to many, especially the young.
Flying so soon after some procedures also carries great risks.
There needs to be a much more proactive approach by the social media giants to review announcements of these procedures on their platforms, that is clear about the risk of harm.
Anyone considering cosmetic surgery should not go to Türkiye.
Without government action, more people will die and our overburdened NHS will continue to foot the bill when things go wrong.
UK victims of surgery performed in Türkiye
At least 24 Britons have died following medical tourism trips to Turkey since January 2019, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Government Development Office.
Here MailOnline highlights some of the known victims.
read cambridge
Leah Cambridge, 29, died after undergoing the ‘Brazilian butt lift’ procedure in Turkey
Leah Cambridge, 29, suffered a blood clot during a £6,500 Brazilian butt lift surgery in Turkey.
The mother of three, from Leeds, died just one day after traveling to an Elite Aftercare clinic in Turkey in August 2018.
The beautician-in-training, described as “paranoid about her body”, paid cash for the procedure after being inspired by Instagram images.
The procedure consisted of extracting fat from the waist and injecting it into the buttocks.
But he suffered a fatal complication when fat was accidentally injected into a vein, causing him to have three heart attacks on the operating table.
Ms Cambridge’s partner, Scott Franks, told the Wakefield Coroner’s Court that the surgeon who performed the procedure told him he had “injected the fat too far into the muscle and it got into his veins”.
Franks said that when she flew to Turkey after her partner’s death, Dr. Ali Uckan, the surgeon who treated Leah, had told her: “It’s a guessing game, you can’t see what you’re getting yourself into.”
Ms Cambridge’s father, Craig, took his own life in 2021, with an inquest in July last year hearing how he was never able to get over the loss of his daughter.
Diarra Akua Eunice Brown
Diarra Brown, 28, died after undergoing liposuction in Turkey
Diarra Akua Eunice Brown, died at age 28, two days after undergoing liposuction at a clinic in the Istanbul suburb of Bahcelievler, in October 2021.
She reportedly underwent the operation to have the fat removed from her hips.
While the procedure initially appeared to be a success, Ms. Brown “suddenly” became ill while having her bandages changed.
She died a few hours later.
Social media posts from family and friends described her as a “beautiful soul” and a “close friend.”
“This must be a dream,” read one post. ‘I still can’t come to terms with this yet.’
‘I miss you Angel. I am devastated that they took it to you way before its time,” said another.
Shannon Bowe
Shannon Bowe, 28, died after undergoing gastric band surgery in Turkey
Shannon Bowe, from Denny, near Falkirk, died while undergoing gastric band surgery in Turkey in April 2023.
The 28-year-old died during the procedure, which involves placing a band around his stomach.
It has not been revealed where exactly Ms Bowe underwent the procedure in Turkey and the complication that led to her death.
In the aftermath of her death, Ms Bowe’s boyfriend Ross Stirling wrote on social media: “Sleep well my angel, I love you forever and ever.”
Gastric band surgery involves a doctor placing a gastric band around the upper part of the stomach, creating a small pouch.
When the patient eats, this little pouch fills up faster than normal, making them feel fuller on less food.
By encouraging them to eat less, the procedure can help patients lose weight.
melissa kerr
Melissa Kerr, 31, from Gorleston, Norfolk, was on holiday in Istanbul when she underwent the procedure.
Melissa Kerr, 31, died while undergoing cosmetic butt lift surgery in Turkey before her wedding.
Ms Kerr traveled to Istanbul Medicana Haznedar Hospital in November 2019 for a buttock augmentation, which can cost up to £3,150.
The mental health counselor, from Gorleston, Norfolk, died from a blocked artery in her lung while undergoing surgery.
Her twin sister Natasha, who created a justgiving.com page after her death, described her as “a pure and beautiful soul inside and out.”
Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose
Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose, a 38-year-old social worker from Dartford, Kent, has passed away after buying a package abroad with Mono Cosmetic Surgery
Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose, a 38-year-old social worker from Dartford, Kent, died in August 2020 after undergoing liposuction surgery in Turkey.
The mother of three purchased an overseas package with Mono Cosmetic Surgery and suffered multiple organ failure as a complication of lipo.
Her husband, Moyosore Olowo, was unaware that she had traveled abroad for cosmetic surgery. He believed that his wife was simply going on vacation with her friends.
It wasn’t until Ms Bamgbose called her husband to tell him that she was suffering from stomach pains after the procedure that she found out what had happened.
Mr Olowo said his wife had visited a private medical practice in the UK, but the cost had been too high for her to have treatment there.
carol keenan
Carol Keenan was offered and accepted the opportunity to get a third free procedure at the same time to sculpt her abdominal muscles and “enhance her appearance.”
Carol Keenan, 54, died six days after undergoing Brazilian butt lift and tummy tuck surgery in Turkey.
The grandmother, from Glenrothes, Fife, paid £7,000 to have the surgery at a private hospital in Istanbul after feeling anxious about how her body looked.
Ms. Keenan also accepted the offer of free abdominal muscle repair surgery shortly before she was scheduled to head into the operating room.
But he died before they could do a final checkup and fly home.
Her daughter Leonie Keenan, 32, said: “My mother was a healthy and fit person. She was a very small size 10 and she kept herself in shape by walking everywhere and going swimming.
“She was a very active grandmother who loved to jump on the trampoline with the kids, but she was not happy with her body despite everyone telling her she looked great.
“He set his heart on having surgery after seeing stories about other people and celebrities having procedures. I don’t know if it was like a midlife crisis.
