Experts call for urgent regulation of overseas weight loss surgery as medical tourism booms

Leading UK experts are calling for tighter regulation of weight loss surgery abroad, warning that the booming trade in bariatric medical tourism is placing lives at risk.

Despite the growing availability of weight loss drugs such as Mounjaro, new analysis suggests that increasing numbers of people in the UK are travelling overseas for weight loss surgery, often lured by low costs and social media marketing.

Writing in BMJ Global Health, researchers highlight the urgent need for international standards to protect individualss opting for surgery in countries such as Turkey, where procedures can cost less than a third of those in the UK.

Dr Jessica McGirr, from the University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin and Imperial College London, said the rise in overseas procedures is linked to long NHS waiting lists and the globalisation of healthcare. “We are seeing this ongoing increase, linked to the globalisation of healthcare and long wait lists,” she explained.

McGirr warned that weight loss surgery is often marketed misleadingly via “before and after” photos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. “Incorrectly, surgery is often marketed from an aesthetic point of view,” she said. “This is complex surgery for treatment of a chronic disease with potentially significant health complications.”

Private bariatric surgery in the UK typically costs between £10,000 and £15,000, compared with £2,500 to £4,500 in countries such as Turkey. But many overseas medical tourism packages do not include follow-up care or support for long-term nutrition and psychological wellbeing.

Consultant bariatric surgeon and president of the British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society, Mr Ahmed said: “If you just look at the statistics, there are nearly 4 million people in the UK who meet the NICE criteria for surgery, but we only do around 5,000 cases each year. I certainly don’t blame the patients, they recognise they have a disease.”

He continued: “I don’t even blame the surgeons abroad, what I don’t like is when we see patients with problems from poorly conducted surgery. That upsets me a lot.”

The BMJ commentary calls for an internationally recognised accreditation process that would allow patients to identify high-quality, regulated centres. McGirr said this system could be funded by providers, but acknowledged that “not all centres would seek accreditation or regulation”.

Complications from bariatric procedures such as gastric sleeve and gastric bypass surgery can include infections, internal hernias and surgical leaks, sometimes with fatal consequences.

According to the Foreign Office, at least 28 British people have died since 2019 following elective procedures in Turkey, many of which were for weight loss. One UK doctor recently told an inquest that he had treated over 100 people suffering complications after surgery abroad.

However, Ahmed noted a recent decline in emergency admissions related to botched procedures, which he attributes to a growing number of people opting for drug treatments over surgery.

Despite this trend experts warn that without coordinated regulation and clear guidance vulnerable individuals will continue to be exposed to avoidable risks.