Labor MP for North Durham Kevan Jones MP campaigns for more action to stop foreign ‘cowboy’ surgeons slaughtering Britons abroad
At least 24 British citizens have died following cosmetic surgery in Turkey.
Yet foreign surgeons, unqualified in the UK, are allowed to tour the country as part of cosmetic surgery roadshows, enticing Britons to travel abroad to get under the knife.
The implications for patients and the NHS are clear.
When people come home and find they have an infection or are injured, they naturally turn to the NHS, estimated at millions of pounds in recent years alone. (Although the government is still not recording the actual figure.)
Yet the ministers fail to introduce the regulations needed to stop these cowboy surgeons.
Anyone providing consultations on medical procedures, including cosmetic surgery, must be registered with a UK authority.
Registration would allow people to look up a surgeon on an official basis, see their qualifications, where they come from, and enable people to make a more informed choice about whether to put their health in the hands of an unsafe surgeon .
It could also form the basis for a better redress system in the future for those who are disadvantaged.
Without government action, more people will die and our overstretched NHS will continue to foot the bill when things go wrong
Currently, people often rely on online reviews, but they should be treated with caution.
As well as fake positive reviews, some clinics threaten to fine people thousands of pounds if they say something negative.
Some even include non-disclosure agreements in pre-operative agreements, which should be a red flag for anyone seeking a procedure, whether overseas or in the UK.
We must also act against aggressive marketing techniques, which often exploit people’s vulnerabilities.
Terms like ‘mummy makeover’ prey on uncertainty, and some clinics offer procedures as part of ‘all-inclusive’ packages, with the return flight only days later.
Terms like all-inclusive glorify medical tourism and contribute to a “celebrity” culture that appeals to so many people, especially younger people.
Flying so quickly after some procedures also carries enormous risks.
There needs to be a much more proactive approach from social media giants in assessing advertising for these procedures on their platforms, who are clear about the risk of harm.
Anyone considering cosmetic surgery should not go to Turkey.
Without government action, more people will die and our overstretched NHS will continue to foot the bill when things go wrong.
The British victims underwent surgery in Turkey
At least 24 Britons have died following medical tourism to Turkey since January 2019, according to the government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Here, MailOnline highlights some of the known victims.
Leah Cambridge
Leah Cambridge, 29, died after the ‘Brazilian butt lift’ procedure in Turkey
Leah Cambridge, 29, suffered a blood clot during a £6,500 Brazilian butt lift operation 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 photos posted on Instagram.
The procedure involved taking fat from the waist and injecting it into the buttocks.
But she suffered a fatal complication when fat was accidentally injected into a vein, causing her three heart attacks on the operating table.
Ms Cambridge’s partner Scott Franks told Wakefield Coroner’s Court the surgeon who performed the procedure told him he had ‘injected the fat too far into the muscle and it had entered her veins’.
Mr Franks said when he flew to Turkey after his partner died, Dr Ali Uckan, the surgeon who treated Leah, told him: ‘It’s a gambling game, you can’t see where you’re going.’
Ms Cambridge’s father, Craig, took his own life in 2021, with an inquest held last July to hear how he could never get past the loss of his daughter.
Diarra Akua Eunice Brown
Diarra Brown, 28, died after liposuction in Turkey
Diarra Akua Eunice Brown, died at the age of 28, two days after liposuction at a clinic in the Bahcelievler suburb of Istanbul, in October 2021.
She reportedly underwent the surgery to have fat removed from her hips.
Although the procedure initially appeared to be a success, Ms Brown ‘suddenly’ fell ill while her bandages were being changed.
She died just hours later.
Social media posts from family and friends described her as a “beautiful soul” and a “good friend.”
“This must be a dream,” said one post. “I still can’t process this.”
“I miss you angel. I am devastated that you were taken far before your time,” said another.
Shannon Bowe
Shannon Bowe, 28, died after gastric band surgery in Turkey
Shannon Bowe, from Denny, near Falkirk, died in April 2023 during gastric band surgery in Turkey.
The 28-year-old died during the procedure in which a band was placed around the abdomen.
Exactly where Ms Bowe underwent the procedure in Turkey and the complication that led to her death has not been revealed.
In the aftermath of her death, Ms Bowe’s boyfriend, Ross Stirling, wrote on social media: “Sleep tight my angel, love you forever and ever.”
In gastric band surgery, a doctor places a gastric band around the top of the stomach, creating a small pouch.
When the patient eats, this little pouch fills up faster than their stomach normally would, making them 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, was on holiday in Istanbul when she underwent the procedure
Melissa Kerr, 31, died during cosmetic surgery to lift her buttocks in Turkey before her wedding.
Ms Kerr traveled to Istanbul’s Medicana Haznedar Hospital in November 2019 for gluteal augmentation, which can cost up to £3,150.
The psychiatrist from Gorleston, Norfolk, died of a blocked artery in her lung during surgery.
Her twin sister Natasha, who started 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 died after buying an overseas package deal with Mono Cosmetic Surgery
Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose, a 38-year-old social worker from Dartford, Kent, died in August 2020 following liposuction surgery in Turkey.
The mother of three purchased an overseas package deal with Mono Cosmetic Surgery and suffered multiple organ failure as a complication of the lipo.
Her husband Moyosore Olowo was unaware that she had traveled abroad for cosmetic surgery. He thought his wife was just going on vacation with her friends.
It wasn’t until Mrs. Bamgbose called her husband to say she had abdominal pain as per the procedure that he found out what had happened.
Mr Olowo said his wife had visited a private medical practice in the UK but the cost was too high for her to have the treatment done there.
Carol Kenan
Carol Keenan was offered and accepted the chance to simultaneously undergo a third procedure for free to shape her abs and “improve how they look”
Carol Keenan, 54, died six days after undergoing surgery for a Brazilian buttock lift and abdominoplasty in Turkey.
The grandmother from Glenrothes, Fife, paid £7,000 to have the operation at a private hospital in Istanbul after worrying about how her body looked.
Ms. Keenan also accepted the offer of free abdominal muscle repair surgery shortly before she was taken to the operating room.
But she died before she could have a final checkup and fly home.
Her daughter Leonie Keenan, 32, said: ‘My mother was a fit and healthy person. She was a very small size 10 and she kept in shape by walking everywhere and going for a swim.
“She was a very active grandmother who loved bouncing on the trampoline with the kids, but she wasn’t happy with her body, even though everyone said she looked great.
She set her sights on surgery after seeing stories of other people and celebrities undergoing procedures. I don’t know if it was some kind of midlife crisis.’