At least 25 Britons have died as a result of medical tourism trips to Turkey since January 2019, according to the Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Here, MailOnline highlights some of the victims.
Leah Cambridge
Leah Cambridge, 29, suffered a blood clot during a £6,500 Brazilian butt lift surgery in Turkey.
Leah Cambridge, 29, died after undergoing ‘Brazilian butt lift’ procedure 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 trainee beautician, described as “paranoid about her body”, paid cash for the procedure after being inspired by Instagram images.
The procedure involved 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 three heart attacks on the operating table.
Cambridge partner Scott Franks told Wakefield Coroner’s Court that the surgeon who carried out the procedure told him he had “injected the fat too far into the muscle and it entered his veins”.
Franks said that when he flew to Turkey after his partner’s death, Dr Ali Uckan, the surgeon who treated Leah, told him: “It’s a guessing game, you can’t see where you’re going.”
Ms Cambridge’s father Craig took his own life in 2021 at an inquest in July last year which found he was never able to get over the loss of his daughter.
Diarra Akua
Diarra Brown, 28, died after undergoing liposuction in Türkiye
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.
He reportedly underwent surgery to remove fat from his hips.
While the procedure initially appeared to be a success, Ms Brown became “suddenly” ill while her bandages were being 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,” one post read. “I still can’t accept this.”
‘I miss you Angel. “I’m devastated they took him away way before his time,” said another.
Shannon Bowe
Shannon Bowe, 28, died after undergoing gastric band surgery in Türkiye
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 that involves placing a band around the stomach.
Exactly where Ms Bowe underwent the procedure in Turkey or what complication led to her death has not been revealed.
After her death, Bowe’s boyfriend Ross Stirling wrote on social media: “Sleep well my angel, I will love you forever and ever.”
Gastric band surgery involves a doctor placing a gastric band around the top of the stomach, creating a small pouch.
When the patient eats, this small pouch fills more quickly than his stomach normally would, causing him to feel fuller with less food.
By encouraging them to eat less, the procedure can help patients lose weight.
Melissa Kerr
Melissa Kerr, 31, from Gorleston, Norfolk, died after suffering a BBL in Türkiye.
Melissa Kerr, 31, died while undergoing a Brazilian butt lift in Turkey in 2019, just before her wedding.
Mrs Kerr traveled to Istanbul’s Medicana Haznedar Hospital in November that year for a buttock augmentation, which can cost up to £3,150.
The psychological wellbeing practitioner, from Gorleston, Norfolk, died from a blocked artery in her lung as a result of surgery.
Her twin sister Natasha, who set up a justgiving.com page after her death, described her as “a pure and beautiful soul inside and out”.
She said: “Words cannot describe the pain and heartbreak we are going through, life without her will never be the same.”
“We miss her deeply and nothing will fill the void we have left.”
Melissa’s partner Skye Birch said: “I will continue to love you with all my heart until my last breath.”
Ms Kerr also worked as a volunteer helping victims of domestic violence and supporting people through grief.
Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose
Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose, 38, died after liposuction in Türkiye
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 bought an overseas package with Mono Cosmetic Surgery after getting tired of people asking her if she was pregnant, according to her husband.
A post-mortem examination found that Mrs Bamgbose suffered perforations to her intestine during surgery, and the cause of death was peritonitis with multiple organ failure.
Peritonitis is an infection of the peritoneum, the inner lining of the abdomen that covers vital internal organs such as the kidneys, liver, and intestines.
Her husband, Moyosore Olowo, told an inquest that he did not know his wife had traveled abroad to undergo cosmetic surgery, but believed she had simply gone on holiday with her friends.
It was not until Mrs Bamgbose called her husband to tell him she was suffering stomach pains after the procedure that he discovered what had happened.
Olowo said his wife had visited a private doctor’s office in the United Kingdom to undergo surgery, but added that the cost had been too high for her to receive the treatment in Britain.
Carol Keenan
Carol Keenan, 54, died after undergoing BBL and tummy tuck in Türkiye
Carol Keenan, 54, died six days after undergoing a combination Brazilian butt lift and tummy tuck in Turkey.
The grandmother, from Glenrothes, Fife, paid £7,000 for the procedures at a private hospital in Istanbul in 2022 after feeling anxious about the appearance of her body.
Ms Keenan also accepted the offer of free abdominal muscle repair surgery shortly before being taken into theatre.
But he died before he had to have a final checkup and fly home.
Speaking to MailOnline in April, his family said they are still waiting for the results of his autopsy, 11 months after his death.
Her daughter Leonie Keenan, 32, said: ‘My mother was a fit and healthy person. She was a very small size 10 and she kept fit by walking everywhere and going swimming.
“She was a very active grandmother who loved jumping on the trampoline with the children, but she was unhappy with her body even though everyone told her she looked great.
‘She decided to have surgery after seeing stories about other people and celebrities undergoing procedures. I don’t know if it was like a midlife crisis.
