Woman’s death during butt lift surgery in Brazil sparks calls for meeting with Turkey | World | News

A series of deaths has prompted the British government to begin negotiations with Turkish officials over medical and cosmetic tourism.

The move follows the death of Melissa Kerr, 31, in 2019 during buttock augmentation surgery at the private Medicana Haznedar hospital in Istanbul.

A coroner said he was concerned that people, including Kerr, were not properly informed of the risks involved before traveling.

Health Minister Maria Caulfield reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling the problem, saying officials from the Department of Health and Social Care would soon travel to Turkey to meet their Turkish counterparts.

A coroner’s inquest heard in September that Ms Kerr, of Gorleston, Norfolk, died from a clot which had migrated to her lungs while she was undergoing Brazilian butt lift (BBL) surgery.

According to the results, BBL procedures pose the greatest risk among any cosmetic surgery procedure.

The United Kingdom has imposed a moratorium on such operations due to the risks associated with them.

Ms Caulfield expressed her sincere condolences to the Kerr family.

The Conservative minister stressed the importance of learning from Ms Kerr’s experience to avoid similar tragedies in the future.

She said: “It is particularly important that those considering the Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedure are fully aware of the risks and have time to fully consider their decision before surgery.