Wes Streeting has pledged to protect Britons traveling abroad for Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs) and other cosmetic procedures.
After several deaths linked to the treatments, the health minister said he would work to improve the safety of those going to Turkey and elsewhere for procedures such as BBL and abdominoplasty.
He warned British travelers looking for cut-price surgeries to think carefully before accepting offers that are “too good to be true”.
And Mr. Streeting said: “I think we need to take this issue of medical malpractice and overseas negligence very seriously.”
It comes after several women have died in recent years after traveling to Turkey for discounted surgery.
Mr. Streeting added: “My strong advice to British travelers is if the offer seems too good to be true, I suspect it is too good to be true, and think very carefully before you fly abroad paying what looks like a sort of bottom line . attractive price, because you may end up paying the consequences for years to come as a result of injuries, which at worst can be life-changing.
“I am determined to work with international partners to try to improve safety for Britons abroad.
“But we also need to send a strong message to the British public to manage the risks, do their homework and think very carefully before accepting offers that are too good to be true.”
Asked if the NHS should pick up the pieces when things go wrong, he said: “We are never going to turn away people who need care, but this is another pressure the NHS doesn’t need.
“I would therefore urge Britons – before traveling abroad – to think very carefully before accessing these cosmetic treatments which are currently on the market at cut-price prices.”
Kaydell Brown, 38, from Sheffield, booked herself in for multiple operations in Turkey but died after going into theater on March 26 this year.
In an interview with ITV News, Leanne’s sister said: “She went into surgery at about 9.30 and that was the last time I saw her.”
Another patient, Isabella Crawford, told how she thought she was going to die after flying home with blood pouring from her open wounds.
The 20-year-old flew to Turkey in February after a surgeon recommended she have a “mummy makeover” – which included a tummy tuck, breast lift, liposuction and a Brazilian butt lift.
A recent inquest heard how Hayley Dowell, 38, suffered medical complications at a private clinic and died after having a Brazilian butt lift, tummy tuck and liposuction last October.
And a coroner said Janet Lynne Savage, 54, of Bangor, died after suffering severe artery injury during a gastric sleeve weight loss procedure in Turkey in 2023.
Foreign Office figures show that at least six Britons died in Turkey in 2023 after traveling abroad for medical procedures.
In total, 28 British nationals have died in the country after elective surgery since 2019, the figures show.
A UK Government spokesman said: “We urge anyone considering having a medical procedure abroad to review our travel advice and relevant guidance from the NHS and other professional bodies.”
According to the Department of State’s website, “the level of medical facilities and treatments available can vary widely worldwide, but also within countries.”
As well as the deaths, he said, “some British nationals also had complications and needed further treatment or surgery after their procedure”.
He said anyone thinking of traveling to Turkey for treatment should discuss plans with their doctor or dentist, adding that “private companies have a financial interest in booking your treatment and their literature should not be the only one your source of information’.
The website said the Foreign Office “is usually unable to help if you have traveled abroad for medical treatment, for example, if you have problems with the care you received or the costs involved.
“Planned medical care is considered a commercial arrangement.”
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “The NHS will always be there for those who need it, but it should not be left to pick up the pieces of broken BBLs.
“Not only are they potentially deadly, having the highest mortality rate of all cosmetic procedures, but arbitrary ‘tweaks’ and surgeries leave the NHS to repair the damage and the taxpayer to foot the bill.
“I would urge anyone considering acquiring BBL to think twice before accepting an offer that seems too good to be true.”
