Medical negligence news

More concerns over cosmetic surgery abroad

A story in the Oxford Mail reiterates the growing problem of how botched private cosmetic surgery is costing the NHS in Oxfordshire alone 'thousands and thousands' each year.

But the problem is nationwide.  'Medical tourism' is growing dramatically in the UK, with thousands of patients going abroad each year, particularly for cosmetic surgery.

Facilitating such travel has also become big business, and now clinics in countries across Europe, Asia, South America and even Africa offer all types of cosmetic surgical procedures.

The problem is that many of them are unregulated, which means the likelihood of something going wrong is high.  This is not only a disaster for the patient, because when he or she returns home it is likely to be the NHS which as to pick up the bill for putting right what has gone wrong.

Adrian Richards, who runs the Aurora Clinic, near Thame, said his clinic received a referral every couple of months.  He is a member of the Fellowship of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, and suggests that the trust shelled out thousands of pounds of taxpayers money to make good botched overseas surgery each year.

He said: "We have surgeons here who take referrals from the NHS and we see either a surgery related infection or bad job at least every couple of months.

"The most popular types of surgery are 'tummy tucks', abdominoplasty, and breast augmentation.

"The main things we do see are infections and these tend to be from places such as Poland, South Africa, and India, where sterility standards are not as high and surgery is not regulated.

"Much of the time people go abroad for surgery and perhaps don't get the level of aftercare they need to make sure they recover fully. You can't just jump on a plane afterwards because there is a high risk of blood clots.

"When someone picks up an infection and becomes very ill after their surgery they'll go to the local A&E and in some cases have to be admitted into intensive care.

"I would say it costs the NHS hundreds of thousands every year.

"And when surgery goes very wrong, the sky is the limit."

But Mr Richards said patients can save about £1,000 on a typical breast enlargement or 'tummy tuck' when they go abroad, with packages including a two week break afterwards.

He said this type of routine 'holiday surgery' means people are not treating plastic surgery seriously.

This view only reiterates the warnings by Laurence Vick, Michelmores' head of clinical negligence.  He first drew the public's attention to the dangers three years ago.

'People so often fail to take even the most basic research into the surgery they are contemplating,' claims Laurence Vick.

'It may be 'cosmetic', but it's still surgery.  I repeat the basic rules:

• Choose a clinic which gives you confidence and which provides all the information you need without your having to prise it out of them
• Make sure the surgeon is properly registered and a specialist in the treatment you need
• Medical treatment involves more than just surgery.  Make sure you know how you will be treated from arrival to departure and what kind of follow-up care you will receive.
• Look at all the options, and make sure you choose one with which you are perfectly happy, and not just because it's the cheapest.  If you can't find one which truly reassures you, keep looking.  Don't be influenced by special offers, especially the ones which try to hurry you into a decision before the cut-off date.

Created: 25/08/2010