Undercover at a Turkish cosmetic clinic in London
Amid a surge in British medical tourism to Turkey, campaigners say patients are being rushed into high-risk cosmetic procedures at a range of clinics without sufficient physical or mental health assessments and without being told the full risks, including death.
Since 2019 at least 28 British medical tourists have died after travelling to Turkey for cosmetic treatments, according to the Foreign Office. The Times went undercover to expose the firms recruiting customers in London.
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Amid a surge in British medical tourism to Turkey, campaigners say patients are being rushed into high-risk cosmetic procedures at a range of clinics without sufficient physical or mental health assessments and without being told the full risks, including death.
Since 2019 at least 28 British medical tourists have died after travelling to Turkey for cosmetic treatments, according to the Foreign Office. The Times went undercover to expose the firms recruiting customers in London.
#InternationalNews, #GlobalUpdates, #BreakingNews, #WorldNews, #LiveNews, #CurrentAffairs, #NewsToday, #GlobalEvents, #PoliticalNews, #EconomyNews, #InternationalPolitics, #TrendingNews, #DailyWorldNews, #WorldHeadlines, #NewsChannel, #GlobalReport, #WorldAffairs, #NewsCoverage, #LatestNews, #InternationalReport #WarNews, #ConflictUpdates, #CrisisReport, #InternationalConflict, #GlobalCrisis, #BreakingWarNews, #WarCoverage, #CrisisUpdates, #ConflictZone, #GlobalConflicts, #WarInTheWorld, #InternationalTensions, #MilitaryNews, #WorldCrisis, #WarHeadlines, #CivilWarNews, #ConflictReport, #WarFootage, #OngoingCrisis, #CrisisCoverage #ukrainwar #israelwar #palestine #middleeastcrisis
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NewsTranscript
00:00I can explain on your body how the operation will be done.
00:03From here we can remove all the fat, so it will be a bit slimmer like this.
00:08And also we can use that fat to put that area as well.
00:13We are giving a bit discounted price, so if you're happy to go with us,
00:18at least you can freeze the price and we know that with the deposit,
00:21but we know that you are coming to us.
00:24I have been investigating how Turkish medical clinics have been targeting British women
00:29and encouraging them to have plastic surgery.
00:32Social media is just littered with ads for cosmetic surgery in Turkey
00:37and these ads often have 20% off BBL, 50% off breast augmentation if you book now.
00:44They don't explain any of the risks and it does look almost too good to be true.
00:50Thousands of British tourists travel to Turkey every year for procedures such as breast implants,
00:55liposuction, facelifts, dental work and weight loss surgeries.
00:59While the clinics say they act responsibly,
01:01the recent boom in medical tourism to Turkey has led to alarming reports.
01:06The British government said that 28 British nationals had died following
01:10medical visits to a range of clinics in Turkey since January 2019.
01:15Separately, there are now also companies with bases in the UK which are linked to Turkish clinics.
01:20They recruit patients here but do not face British medical regulations
01:24and do not have British medical licences.
01:26One of the companies I found was Clinic Centre.
01:29So I initially contacted Clinic Centre just through their online booking form
01:35and a sales rep came back to me within a few hours.
01:39I have chosen to ask for Brazilian butt lift surgery
01:43because this is one of the most popular at the moment but it also comes with the most risks.
01:48This is a procedure which involves liposuction on various parts of the body to remove fat,
01:53which is then injected into the buttocks to make them bigger.
01:56If the operation goes wrong, there can be fatal consequences.
02:01Clinic Centre did not say I had to have an in-person consultation before flying to Turkey
02:05for surgery but I saw online that it offered free physical consultations in London.
02:10I arrived with a colleague who posed as my sister and filmed using hidden cameras.
02:16We were met by Ece Gunay who describes herself as head of medical consultants for Clinic Centre,
02:21although she is not a doctor or registered as any kind of medical professional in the UK.
02:26I'm Charlotte.
02:28Yes, you are Charlotte.
02:29Yeah, I'm Charlotte.
02:30Okay.
02:31You are here for only support or…?
02:33Yes.
02:35On her desk, there was a box of medical examination gloves and a display of breast implants.
02:40Within four minutes of me arriving in her office,
02:42she had put on one of the gloves and asked me to undress behind a screen.
02:46I can explain on your body how the operation will be done.
02:49Okay.
02:50Then I will explain all the other details.
02:54We can inject the excess fat to here to create this R-gloss shape so we can fill that area.
03:00I will also show you some before-after pictures.
03:01Oh, yeah.
03:02There had been no proper warnings about the risks of surgery
03:05or about whether I had any mental health conditions such as body dysmorphic disorder.
03:10She proceeded to discuss the different options for surgery to reshape my body.
03:14This one is that type.
03:16Yeah.
03:17But also, we have this one.
03:23I asked her whether there were any risks to having the surgery.
03:26Is it like this safe and like…?
03:29Yeah, I mean, we don't take any risk.
03:31Yeah.
03:31The thing is, you might have like heard the bad stories.
03:38Yeah.
03:39But these surgeons are taking too much fat.
03:42Yeah.
03:43Instead, we're telling you it's not a surgery that we are like taking risk
03:48and we are removing the fat as much as possible.
03:50There's a limit for everyone.
03:51She said the price I had been offered for surgery was a discounted amount for international patients,
03:56suggesting this was a reward for signing up relatively quickly.
04:00We don't want you to wait too much to finalise the process
04:05because we are just making it win-win.
04:07She then took us through how the company would be able to arrange
04:10an all-inclusive package to travel to Turkey for surgery.
04:14This is what the package includes.
04:17So from now on, if you are happy with everything,
04:19you pay a deposit and you become an upcoming patient.
04:21Yeah.
04:22We will arrive day one.
04:23We will welcome you at the airport.
04:25Your driver will be waiting for you there.
04:27Gunay repeatedly told me that it was up to me to decide what I wanted
04:30and never hard-sold treatment.
04:32When clinic centre patients fly to Turkey for their surgeries,
04:35it is thought they will always meet with their surgeon beforehand.
04:38Before we left, I asked Gunay to clarify what her job was and if she was a consultant.
04:43She said that I would have to speak to a surgeon for specific medical issues
04:46but that she had many years of experience in the industry.
04:49Since plastic surgery is a bit, I mean, kind of basic,
04:52it doesn't depend on any health issue that much.
04:55Like, I don't need to see any fumes or ultrasound results
04:59if you don't have any medical condition.
05:01That's why, I mean, for eight years, I understand.
05:04I cannot just make the operation right now.
05:06I currently know everything.
05:08When I first contacted Clinic Centre,
05:10a salesman calling himself Yunus replied via WhatsApp and email.
05:14Within only a few hours, he had confirmed that I had been approved for surgery in Turkey
05:19and offered me a special deal.
05:22The company also promotes its treatments using a video
05:25that it paid Dr Alex George to appear in.
05:27George is a former A&E doctor who was a contestant on the TV reality show Love Island,
05:32has millions of followers on social media sites
05:35and was appointed by the previous government as a youth mental health ambassador.
05:39I'm here in Istanbul to find out more about medical tourism.
05:42There's been so much in UK press in recent years,
05:45quite negative stories about procedures here in Turkey.
05:49I'm here with Clinic Centre,
05:50who've given me unrestricted access to speak to patients and surgeons
05:54to find out their experiences and find out the truth.
05:56Medaway is another UK company that recruits Brits for cosmetic surgery in Turkey.
06:02I initially signed up with Medaway to inquire about having a BBL,
06:05but then also asked for breast augmentation, eye surgery and rhinoplasty.
06:10Before having a consultation with a medical professional,
06:13I was told I could have these treatments spread over two operations, six months apart
06:18and that I could have a 30% discount if I paid the full costs up front.
06:22I received a follow-up phone call from a representative at Medaway,
06:25offering me another chance to get discounted cosmetic surgery.
06:29It's been three days after the video call.
06:31I can only extend it by the end of tonight.
06:34I will talk to my managers if you are ready to book.
06:37Otherwise, they will ask for you to go ahead with the standard package price.
06:43Eight days later, the saleswoman got in touch again with yet another offer.
06:48In the UK, medical professionals must carry out full consultations
06:52before signing someone up for surgery.
06:54They have to be honest about risks, not make unjustifiable claims
06:58and surgeons should ensure that patients do not have mental health conditions
07:01such as body dysmorphic disorder.
07:03There is also an obligatory cooling-off period.
07:06However, as these clinics carry out procedures in Turkey,
07:09they are not under the same obligations to adhere to the strict medical guidelines
07:13in place in the UK.