A study in BMJ Open concludes that the costs of post-operative complications to the NHS are significant and could be as high as almost £20,000 per patient.
The cost to the NHS of postoperative complications thanks to outward medical tourism is significant and could be as high as almost £20,000 per patient.
A study, published in the open-access journal BMJ Open, looked at 655 patients treated in specific NHS hospitals between 2006 and 2024 for postoperative complications due to metabolic/bariatric surgery, cosmetic and ophthalmic surgery tourism. No cases relating to other surgical specialities were identified in the literature.
It found that the overwhelming majority of patients were women (90%), with an average age of 38. The most common destination for surgery was Turkey (61%).
“Very low certainty evidence indicated that costs to the NHS from outward medical tourism for elective surgery ranged from £1,058 to £19,549 per patient in 2024 prices. We found no studies that reported on the benefits of outward medical tourism,” the report says.
It concluded that there should be an awareness-raising campaign and that interventions are warranted to inform members of the public in the UK who are considering going abroad for surgery about the potential for complications.
“Those seeking medical treatment abroad should be made aware of which complications the NHS is responsible for treating, and costs for which the patient may be potentially personally liable, including non-emergency treatment,” it concluded.
Patients at risk
“The findings of this research highlight the real cost of medical tourism for both patients and the NHS, and the critical need for reliable national data on how many people this affects. Too often people are drawn in by cut-price deals and glossy online marketing, only to return with serious, sometimes life-changing complications,” said Vivien Lees, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, in response to the report.
“When things go wrong, the NHS is left to pick up the pieces, often in emergencies and without full information about what surgery was done or by whom. That puts patients at risk and adds avoidable pressure to already stretched services. It should not be the role of the NHS to routinely mop up the mistakes of private providers overseas, and we would encourage the government to continue bringing pressure to bear on foreign providers and other governments, including to cover the costs of complications that happen in their countries,” she continued.
The Royal College agreed with the report’s recommendation that there should be a communication campaign to explain the dangers of medical tourism.
“Better public information, including building on the UK government’s partnership with TikTok, and improved data collection, are essential to protect patients and the NHS,” she added.
