Meeting between Turkish and UK officials triggered by the death related to Brazilian butt-lift surgery

The UK government has announced plans to meet with officials in Turkey to discuss regulations surrounding medical and cosmetic tourism. This comes after a number of deaths related to procedures done abroad, including the case of Melissa Kerr, who died during a buttock enlargement surgery in Istanbul in 2019. Concerns have been raised about the lack of information provided to patients before they travel abroad for these procedures. Health minister Maria Caulfield has stated that the government takes these issues seriously and will be sending officials to Turkey to meet with their counterparts. The UK currently has a moratorium on certain high-risk procedures like the one Ms. Kerr underwent. The government is considering ways to effectively communicate the risks of medical tourism and wants to ensure that patients have sufficient information to make informed decisions.