An Australian man has died just hours after returning from cosmetic surgery in Malaysia. Surgery included: liposuction, upper eye lift, chin tuck, lip filler, thigh lift and breast sculpting. The coroner is investigating what went wrong.
An Australian man died hours after returning from cosmetic surgery in Malaysia. Victoria’s coroner is investigating what went wrong for the 31-year-old who underwent two marathon surgeries within a week of each other.
Leigh Aiple had spent more than A$35,000 to go to Malaysia for the extreme cosmetic surgery he hoped would change his life – a 360-degree tummy tuck, extensive liposuction, an upper eye lift, a chin tuck, lip fillers, a thigh lift and breast sculpture. The first surgery lasted more than 11 hours and complications followed: the stitches opened and the wounds oozed for weeks, his mother claims.
Aiple spent weeks in hospital at the Beverly Wilshire Medical Center in Kuala Lumpur, followed by recovery at a local hotel.
Experienced medical travel agency, New Zealand-based Gorgeous Getaways, arranged the travel and treatment. The organization has detailed records of treatment and aftercare
There have been reports of a carer finding Aiple in a bloodied hotel room, fluid seeping from his side, the stitches on his back opened, revealing a 10cm gash. His mother claims that her His son had also complained of swelling in his foot and ankle after the operationand sent her an email detailing blackouts, fainting spells and hyperventilation.
Aiple flew home in May 2014 – and was due to see a doctor the next morning. But died hours before the appointment.
The 2014 investigation by the local coroner found that Aiple had died of natural causes: pulmonary thromboembolism associated with deep vein thrombosis. A blood clot in his calf had traveled to his lung and the The pathologist determined that recent surgery and air travel were risk factors.
Lawyers for Aiple’s family were successful arranged for the coroner to open a new inquest into the death. Lawyers argue that Aiple had post-operative complications that made him unable to fly, who should have been treated in Malaysia. The Beverly Wilshire is conducting an internal investigation.
The lawyer is medical malpractice specialist Kathryn Booth, who explains, “It is possible to sue a doctor in Malaysia, but the process is complex, compensation is and enforcement is a problem. The most a family could get for a lost loved one is $10,000 Malaysian ringgit, or about $3,300, and the caps for claims for financial loss and suffering are very limited. If you obtain a judgment against a Malaysian doctor, it is difficult to enforce it as Malaysian laws may not recognize and assist you in this judgment.“
While it is possible for Australian lawyers to sue medical tourism agencies when things go terribly wrong, bringing a claim for damages based on breach of contract through the Australian courts is a difficult and lengthy process.
Australians account for a quarter of overseas patients treated at Beverley Wilshire Medical Center
An estimated 15,000 Australians go to Asia for cosmetic surgery and the case has given new ammunition to the Australian medical profession which has always been staunchly opposed to overseas cosmetic surgery on safety grounds.
