Deaths of 22 Brits from Turkey 'medical tourism' spark urgent investigation

22 November 2023 , 14:57

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Turkey is famed for its beaches but some tourists have been visiting for medical procedures (Image: Getty Images)

UK health officials are travelling to Turkey following the death of a British woman during a 'Brazilian butt lift' (BBL) operation and the loss of 21 more people's lives.

Melissa Kerr, 31, was admitted to the Medicana Kadikoy Hospital in Istanbul in 2019 and died after the procedure to collect fat and inject it into her buttocks. An inquest into her death, which took place in Norwich in September, concluded that she was only given "limited information regarding the risks and mortality rate" associated with the operation.

Norfolk’s senior coroner Jacqueline Lake wrote to the Department of Health and Social Care with her concerns following the inquest. She raised the alarm about procedures in Turkey, warning that Brits keen to sign-up to budget cosmetic operations were not being fully informed of the risks.

She wrote: "I am concerned that patients travelling to Turkey for this procedure are not being made aware of the risks and the high mortality rate associated with this surgery." The coroner also raised concerns that there were "no or limited controls with regard to such surgery taking place".

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Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Maria Caulfield said that UK health officials would be heading out to Turkey (Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament (Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)))

Maria Caulfield, the UK government's minister for mental health and women’s health strategy, wrote a response to Ms Lake's letter this month, explaining: "My officials will… be visiting Turkey shortly to meet with their counterparts. The intention is to discuss the regulatory framework, and the protections that are in place for UK nationals, and to identify concrete areas where the UK and Turkish authorities should work together to reduce the risks to patients in the future.

"It is particularly important that those considering having the ‘Brazilian Butt Lift procedure are made fully aware of the risks and have time to reflect fully on their decision ahead of surgery. As you note in the report, the risks associated with this procedure are high."

The health minister warned that the risk of death from the BBL procedure was at least 10 times higher than many other cosmetic operation. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has advised its members not to carry out Brazilian butt lift surgery until they have carried out more research into how safe it is.

Ms Kerr died on the day of the butt lift, on November 19 2019. She lost her life after injected fat entered a vein before moving and blocking her pulmonary artery, with her cause of death recorded as pulmonary thromboembolism and fat embolism, with a secondary cause stated as elective cosmetic surgery.

She is far from the only British passport holder who have died following cosmetic surgery in Turkey. Nearly a year ago, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office warned medical tourists to check the legitimacy of providers in Turkey after 22 deaths in four years.

At the time, the FCDO said: "We are aware of 22 British nationals who have died in Turkey since January 2019 following medical tourism visits."

Milo Boyd