As an increasing number of people seek weightloss procedures overseas, experts have warned the public to resist the appeal of special offers or discounted rates.
Academics from Kings College London say the offers on surgeries, common in countries such as Turkey or India, “raise concern about the quality of care”.
People with obesity – who are increasingly seeking care overseas due to long waiting lists for care at home – “must not be subjected to targeted social media advertising relating to bariatric surgery abroad”, they added.
There are likely to be thousands of such cases each year in the UK, but experts said the true figure is unknown.
There have been reports that some patients have received substandard treatment after going abroad for treatment – with some people dying due to poor care.
As a result, experts have come up with safe practice guidelines on bariatric and metabolic surgery tourism.
These include various recommendations for patients, doctors, bariatric surgery centres and social media companies.
Patients must consult their doctor at home before travelling abroad for a procedure, according to the new consensus paper, which was developed with the European Association for the Study of Obesity, the International Federation for Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders European Chapter, and the European Collation for People Living with Obesity.
And patients who are overweight but not obese – with a body mass index score of less than 30 – should not be able to seek bariatric surgery abroad, the authors said.
Other recommendations in the guidelines, published in the International Journal of Surgery, include:
- Surgical tourism should only be provided at accredited centres.
- These centres should only provide accredited surgeries or treatments.
- Patients should be followed up for at least two years after the procedure.
- They should also be provided with clear information on the risks and benefits of the surgery, including the risks associated with travel.
- Patients who are medical tourists should not be involved in research studies.
European Association for the Study of Obesity president Professor Volkan Yumuk…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…