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The investigation found that seven British patients have died since 2019 after undergoing weight loss surgery in Turkey.
Weight loss treatment is available on the NHS, but a combination of long waiting lists and expensive private care means some patients are forced to seek treatment abroad.
The most common weight loss surgeries, including gastric band, gastric bypass, and sleeve gastrectomy, allow the stomach to fill up faster, enhancing weight loss. This is achieved by placing a band, joining the top of the stomach to the small intestine, or removing part of the stomach.
In the UK, such treatment through private healthcare providers typically costs between £9,500 and £15,000. In Turkey, the price is much lower, in some cases around £2,000.
Joe Thornley, 25, is one of seven British patients who have died after receiving such treatment in Turkey. Upon travelling to Istanbul for treatment, his parents were told he had gone into cardiac arrest, but a subsequent post-mortem examination determined the cause of death was internal bleeding.
“Someone claiming to be a surgeon called me and said he was in cardiac arrest and they couldn’t save him. I believed him,” Mr Thornley’s mother, Julie Thornley, 58, told the Mirror.
“But after the body was returned, an autopsy revealed that there was bleeding from the surgical site. He died from internal bleeding,” she added, claiming such weight loss surgeries were “worthless”.
NHS guidelines state that weight loss surgery should only be offered to patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above, or those with a BMI between 35 and 40 who have obesity-related conditions that could be improved by losing weight. These conditions include type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
The guidelines also stipulate that people must have tried all other methods of weight loss and agree to undergo regular checkups and make appropriate lifestyle changes if they undergo surgery.
Weight loss surgery is not without risks: It can leave patients with excess skin folds in their legs, gallstones, and blood clots, and it can also make it harder for them to get enough vitamins and minerals from their diet.
The gastric band may slip out of place, causing food to leak through the passage between the stomach and small intestine or causing a blockage or narrowing of the intestine.
Pinky Jolie, 45, traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, to undergo weight loss surgery in November 2022 (Pinky Jolie/SWNS)
Pinky Jolly, 45, travelled to Turkey to undergo gastric sleeve resection surgery in November 2022 after raising more than £2,000 on GoFundMe, after which she was left fighting for her life.
After a two-hour operation, Jolie suffered severe abdominal pain, vomiting and was dehydrated. She returned to the UK four days later and was advised to go to hospital immediately, where doctors discovered she had developed severe urinary incontinence which had developed into an infection.
Surgeons at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital then performed a “jet lavage” of Jolie’s stomach, leaving her to remain in hospital until March 2023 as she battles sepsis and is unable to eat solid food.
More broadly, the Foreign Office has reported that at least 22 British people have died after visiting Turkey for medical procedures since January 2019, and has advised caution with so-called “medical tourism” as facilities and treatments vary from country to country.
“British nationals considering seeking treatment in Turkey should do their own research,” the Foreign Office said, advising against using “private companies with a financial interest in arranging treatment overseas”.
