Helen Burchell | BBC News, Norfolk
After the increase in death cases among British citizens who went to Turkey for cosmetic tourism, the British government announced that they would discuss regulations regarding health and cosmetic tourism with Turkish authorities.
Meliss Kerr, 31, died during Brazilian hip lift surgery at Medicana Haznedar Hospital in Istanbul in 2019.
The coroner who was involved in the investigation opened in England said that people who went for cosmetic tourism were not given sufficient information.
Ministry of Health Undersecretary Maria Caulfiled said the government would “treat this issue seriously”.
In her response to the report prepared by Norfolk Senior Coroner Jacqueline Lake to prevent similar deaths, she announced that officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Services will soon go to Turkey and meet with their counterparts.
During the investigation in England, it was understood that a clot went to Kerr’s lungs during the surgery and that he died as a result.
In the investigation, Brazilian hip lift surgeries were shown to be the riskiest of all cosmetic surgeries.
This surgery is banned in the UK due to its high risk.
Coroner Lake said Kerr could not make a decision prioritizing his safety because he was not adequately informed about the risks before surgery and added:
“Citizens who go abroad for such procedures are under threat.
“I think it is possible to prevent these deaths in the future with better information sharing.”
In 2020, a mother of three children who had liposuction surgery in Turkey died.
A BBC investigation also found that seven Britons who went to Turkey for weight-loss surgery died.
“It is important that we learn from what happened to Kerr to prevent more people from dying,” Under Secretary Caulfield said.
“Our government is examining countries that provide services in the field of health tourism but whose regulations are not at the level of England.
“Transparency and standard setting in this area are important to reduce potential risks to patients.
“Especially those who want to have Brazilian hip lift (BBL) surgery should be informed about its risks and have enough time to think about it.
“The risk of death in BBL surgeries is at least 10 times higher than in other cosmetic procedures.”
Caulfiled said they will find effective ways to explain to people the risks of going abroad for this type of surgery.
Stating that they consider the effects of health tourism globally, Caulfield emphasized that they will pay special attention to this country due to the large number of British people visiting Turkey.
The Ministry of Health in Turkey did not respond to our questions until this news was published.
