Aesthetic crisis escalating: “Block Turkish clinics” campaign in the UK
The aesthetic crisis between the UK and Turkey seems unending. The family of Shannon Bowe, who died during a weight loss surgery in Turkey, called for the blocking of Turkish clinics’ sales events in the UK. The family of a British woman who died after her aorta was punctured twice during a weight loss surgery in Turkey is calling for Turkish clinics to be prevented from advertising in the UK.
Shannon Bowe, 28, came to Turkey last year for a gastric sleeve surgery and died on April 2 due to excessive bleeding. Her family in the UK flew to Turkey immediately upon learning about her critical condition post-surgery. Shannon passed away the day after the operation.
According to BBC, Shannon’s family mentioned that she wanted to lose weight “to have children” and asked hotel chains to shut their doors to events called clinic days. The family alleged that Shannon died unnecessarily due to a “botched” surgery.
The owner of a private clinic in Scotland confirmed that Shannon wanted to have a gastric surgery a week before her death but was denied due to not meeting medical criteria. The gastric sleeve surgery performed on Bowe in Turkey was a more extensive surgical operation than what the clinic in Scotland had rejected.
MULTIPLE DEATHS OF BRITISH CITIZENS
Turkey-based private healthcare companies organize marketing events in major hotels in the UK. People interested in weight loss surgeries, cosmetic surgeries, and dental operations meet with surgeons and sales representatives at these events. The subsequent trips are termed “surgery holidays.”
In the last five years, 28 British citizens traveling for medical procedures have died.
John McNally, the Member of Parliament for the Falkirk area where Shannon’s family resides, noted that despite the increasing death toll, events held in renowned hotel chains give Turkish companies “credibility.” McNally argued that these events, called sales days, “exploit vulnerable individuals.”
Shannon’s family, speaking for the first time since her death, also supported the campaign calling for hotels to stop hosting such events. The family urged for the immediate cessation of supporting such events for commercial gain, to prevent other families from experiencing the pain and emotional trauma they have endured since Shannon’s preventable, premature death.
MUCH CHEAPER
Cosmetic surgeries like those in Turkey can be done at a significantly lower cost than private surgery prices in the UK. While in some parts of the UK, the waiting time for weight loss surgeries can be up to four years, appointments can be scheduled within a few weeks in Turkey.
A recent investigation by the BBC revealed that a Turkish surgeon who attended a sales event in Glasgow accepted patients for surgery who did not meet the criteria for surgery in the UK. The surgeon was filmed advising the undercover journalist posing as a patient to “eat plenty” before the operation. The journalist’s weight was within healthy limits, and they were not weighed during the appointment conversation at the event.
A study conducted at hospitals in London also revealed that individuals who went abroad for weight loss surgeries and later required emergency medical care in the UK cost the UK healthcare system more than the surgery itself.
source: sozcu.com.tr/estetik-krizi-buyuyor-ingiltere-de-turk-klinikleri-engelleyin-kampanyasi-p47577
