People who want to travel abroad for cosmetic surgery such as the Brazilian butt lift (BBL) should be wary of deals that seem “too good to be true”, the Health Secretary has warned.

Wes Streeting said his “strong advice” to the British public is to “think carefully” about the risks before opting for “rocket prices” abroad.

Several women have lost their lives in recent years after traveling to Türkiye for discounted surgery. The Royal College of Surgeons is due to hold a meeting on the “growing crisis” next month.

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Mr Streeting said: “I think we need to take this issue of overseas medical negligence and malpractice very seriously.

“My advice to British travelers is this: if the deal seems too good to be true, I suspect it is too good to be true, and think carefully before taking a flight abroad, paying what Seems like a kind of low-hanging fruit price, because you can end up paying the consequences for years from injuries that, in the worst cases, can be life-changing.”

The minister said he was “committed to working with international partners to try to improve the security of Britons abroad”.

“But we also need to send a strong message to the British public to manage risks, do their homework and think very carefully before accepting offers that are too good to be true,” he added.

Asked if the NHS should pick up the pieces when things go wrong, he said: “We’re never going to turn away people who need care, but that’s another pressure the NHS doesn’t have.” doesn’t need it.

“I therefore urge Britons – before traveling abroad – to think very carefully before accessing these cosmetic treatments which are currently being marketed at rock-bottom prices.”

Foreign Office data shows at least six Britons died in Türkiye in 2023 after traveling abroad for medical procedures.

A total of 28 British nationals have died in the country following planned surgery since 2019, data shows.

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The victims included Hayley Dowell, 38, who suffered medical complications at a private clinic and died after undergoing a Brazilian butt lift, tummy tuck and liposuction in Turkey in October last year, an inquest heard recent.

Janet Lynne Savage, 54, of Bangor, also died from major arterial trauma during a gastric sleeve weight loss procedure in Turkey in 2023, a coroner said.

Urgent meeting of experts

The Royal College of Surgeons said it would hold a meeting early next month to find solutions to unacceptable standards of treatment abroad, to which the Ministry of Health and the Turkish and Lithuanian embassies have been invited.

The group’s vice-chair, Professor Vivien Lees, said: “After years of inaction from officials, we are now calling an urgent meeting with experts from health, advertising and trade authorities, as well as foreign governments, to address this growing crisis. »

Stephen Powis, national medical director of the NHS, said Brazilian butt lifts – where fat is transferred to a patient’s buttocks from other parts of their body – “have the highest mortality rate of all cosmetic procedures.”

Echoing Mr Streeting’s language, he added: “Dodgy adjustments and surgeries are leaving the NHS to repair the damage and taxpayers to foot the bill.

“I urge anyone considering a BBL to think twice before accepting an offer that seems too good to be true.”

As well as deaths among Britons, the Foreign Office said some people “also experienced complications and required further treatment or surgery after their procedure”.

It says anyone considering traveling to Turkey for treatment should discuss this with their own doctor or dentist, adding that “private companies have a financial interest in booking your treatment and their documentation should not be your only source information”.

The government also warned that it would generally not be able to help people stranded abroad due to the costs and complications associated with cosmetic surgery, as “planned medical treatment is considered a commercial arrangement” .

(c) Sky News 2024: Warning issued over Brazilian butt lift ‘too good to be true’