A 33-year-old Briton who suffered complications from a botched cosmetic surgery procedure in Turkey said he “thought I was going to die” and called on Britain to stop clinics in the country from advertising their services.
Sarah Platt, a carer and mother of four, paid £15,000 after losing 6.5 pints of blood and requiring eight transfusions during an operation in February. They are suing a clinic in Antalya, Turkey.
Ms Platt, from Llanharran, Wales, told me that after having a gastric sleeve fitted and having 12 stones drained, she went to the clinic for a tummy tuck and breast lift. But her surgery left her in a “complete and utter mess,” she said.
The British government has announced plans to consult with Turkish authorities after the deaths of several people who traveled to Turkey for cosmetic surgery, including a woman who underwent a “Brazilian butt lift.”
Mr Platt said he believed the UK needed to raise the issue of Turkish clinics being able to advertise in the UK and that the Turkish government should be held accountable if things went wrong. There is a “dangerous” lack of regulation, she claims.
Pratt said she was only expecting surgery on her chest and stomach during her initial consultation, but the clinic also performed surgery on her arm and side. “I was literally like a jigsaw puzzle,” Pratt said, recalling the “excruciating” pain he felt when he woke up from the surgery.
“As soon as I woke up, I couldn’t breathe and knew something was wrong,” she said. “I noticed that her right breast was purple and there was a large lump in the middle of her breast.”
She claimed that when she took a shower for the first time nine days after the surgery, she noticed “brown fluid” oozing from her stomach and that it felt like it was “exploding.”
She was taken back to the clinic and told she needed surgery right away.
“I was there screaming,” she said. “I have completely gone mental and have complex PTSD as a result of this, suffering from extreme panic attacks and nightmares.”
Ms Pratt was finally able to return to the gym a few weeks ago, but said she was doing so for her mental health (Photo: Sarah Pratt)
My stay in Türkiye was supposed to be 12 days, but it was extended to 28 days. After requesting to return home, Mr Platt returned to the UK with a certificate of fitness to fly signed by a Turkish doctor. Even though she was given sedatives before boarding, she said she was still in “complete pain” during her flight.
“But all I kept thinking was that I was going to die and I’d never see my children again, so I wanted to be on British soil.”
The NHS “had to save my life”, she said, explaining how she spent eight weeks in hospital and underwent nine operations, including a mastectomy and skin graft, and needed further surgery.
British doctors also tried to remove necrosis and multi-drug resistant bacteria (MDRO) that Mr Pratt allegedly picked up during corrective surgery in Turkey, but Mr Pratt said the doctor had dropped the instrument on the floor and had it removed. He claimed he had reused it without properly cleaning it. .
Pratt claims doctors told her to put her to sleep during the surgery, but she remained awake.
“I saw everything and felt everything…The smell of my burning skin will stay with me forever,” she said.
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“I felt sick, I was shaking and I passed out.”
Because of the MDRO she signed up for, she spent six of the eight weeks in isolation in the hospital, unable to see her children.
It “really had a huge impact on my mental health. I forgot how to be a mother,” she said.
Ahmed Ahmed, consultant bariatric (weight loss) surgeon and executive director of the British Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, said:
“I am seeing an increasing number of patients undergoing bariatric surgery overseas develop serious complications requiring further surgery in the UK.
“In some cases, this was due to inadequate post-operative follow-up. Ultimately, we are saving these lives so that the millions of people who will benefit here in the UK can access these treatments. We urgently need to increase commissioning of life-saving metabolic surgery.”
A trial on charges of negligence by the clinic that treated Pratt will be held in Turkey in January.
UK Health Secretary Maria Caulfield has announced that Department of Health and Social Care officials are planning to visit Turkey in the near future after the Norfolk coroner wrote a report on preventing future deaths following the death of Melissa Kerr. He said he plans to meet with related parties. She died during surgery on her hip at a clinic in Istanbul.
Mr Corfeed said the government recognized that testing by some countries offering healthcare tourism “may not be in line with UK regulatory standards” and that “such transparency and standardization is important to patients. “This is important to reduce potential risks to.”
I have reached out to the Turkish government for comment.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “All cosmetic procedures carry risks that can affect people’s physical and mental health and safety standards in other countries may not be as high as in the UK.” .
“For those considering cosmetic surgery abroad, we recommend researching the standards and qualifications applicable in the country you are traveling to.
“We also recommend checking the UK Government’s travel advice and any relevant guidance from the NHS and other relevant professional bodies.
“We need to ensure that appropriate insurance is in place and that appropriate aftercare is available in the UK should complications arise.”
