Complications from cut-price overseas surgeries could leave the NHS footing bills of nearly £20,000 per patient, a major new study has revealed.
The High Price of Medical Tourism
Research published in the British Medical Journal on 13 January 2026 has quantified the significant financial burden that medical tourism places on the UK's health service. Analysing data from 14 studies spanning 2006 to 2023, the journal found the cost to the NHS ranges from £1,058 to £19,549 for each patient who returns with complications.
The trend for travelling abroad for procedures, particularly cosmetic and fat-loss operations, has grown due to seemingly cheap package deals covering flights and accommodation. Destinations like Turkey have become hotspots. However, the study warns this is often a "false economy," as problems post-surgery frequently require extensive and expensive NHS care.
Patient Stories and Common Complications
The human cost behind these figures is stark. In 2022, Katrina Marshall, a mother-of-four and school bus driver, paid over £6,000 for a package including breast implants, a tummy tuck, and a Brazilian butt lift in Turkey. Upon returning to the UK, she developed severe infections that left her in "excruciating pain" and fighting for her life.
"For anyone thinking they are saving money by going to have the surgery in Turkey I would say think again," Ms Marshall told Metro. "It’s a false economy – if things go wrong it’s better to be in the UK."
The BMJ research notes that while comprehensive data is limited, wound infection and lack of healing are among the most common issues. Complications can be severe, necessitating intensive care, further surgery, and heavy antibiotic use. There are even reports of multiple organ failure from sepsis and deaths resulting from related cardiac arrest or brain injury.
A Call for Action and Data
The study also highlights how follow-up care in the UK is hampered by a lack of full information about the original operation performed abroad. This puts patients at greater risk and complicates treatment.
Professor Vivien Lees, Vice President of The Royal College of Surgeons of England, stated the findings show a "critical need for reliable national data on how many people this affects." She warned that people are often "drawn in by cut-price deals and glossy online marketing" only to return with life-changing complications.
"When things go wrong, the NHS is left to pick up the pieces, often in emergencies and without full information about what surgery was done or by whom," Professor Lees added. "That puts patients at risk and adds avoidable pressure to already stretched services."
The research underscores a growing hidden cost to the NHS, urging greater awareness of the risks associated with medical tourism and better systems for tracking its impact.
