NHS ‘forks out up to £20,000’ to fix every boob job or tummy tuck botched by surgeons abroad, shocking figures reveal

FIXING botched boob jobs and tummy tucks carried out abroad costs the NHS up to £20,000 per patient, doctors warn.

Travelling to cut-price clinics in Turkey and Eastern Europe for cosmetic operations is increasingly common.

But experts warn patients face a higher risk of serious complications than if they had work done in the UK.

The NHS must fork out for emergency treatment when someone’s health is at risk but refuses to repair ugly results.

A study by Cardiff and Bangor universities in Wales estimates the health service spends up to £19,549 a time helping victims.

It analysed medical records from 655 patients treated for complications between 2011 and 2024.

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They were mostly women who had travelled to Turkey for breast enlargements or slimming operations.

It should not be the role of the NHS to routinely mop up the mistakes of private providers overseas

Professor Vivien Lees, Royal College of Surgeons in England

Writing in the journal BMJ Open, the study authors said: “Wound infection and lack of wound healing are the most common complications reported.

“Complications can be serious and may require treatment in intensive care, further surgery and extensive use of antibiotics.

“There are reports of multiple organ failure due to sepsis from wound infection and death due to brain injury and cardiac arrest.

“Medical tourism is has been rising for several decades and is likely to continue to increase, made attractive by low-cost air fares and the use of the internet to market services.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has warned Brits to “think carefully” before going abroad for cosmetic surgery.

He warned: “If the offer looks too good to be true, I suspect it is.”

He has pledged to work with governments in Turkey and other destination countries to protect the safety of travelling patients.

Bolton mum Demi Agoglia died aged just 26 in 2024 due to complications from a Brazilian butt-lift operation in Turkey.

Professor Vivien Lees, of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “This research highlights the real cost of medical tourism for both patients and the NHS.

“Too often people are drawn in by cut-price deals and glossy online marketing, only to return with serious, sometimes life-changing complications. 

“It should not be the role of the NHS to routinely mop up the mistakes of private providers overseas.”

A Department of Health spokesperson added: “We have launched a major drive to crack down on dangerous medical tourism and raise awareness of the risks medical tourism brings.”