The cost of cosmetic surgery tourism complications to the NHS: A retrospective analysis

Introduction

Medical tourism refers to the process of patients travelling outside of their native country to undergo elective surgical procedures and is a rapidly expanding healthcare phenomenon [1–3]. Whilst a multitude of established Private Healthcare Providers (PHPs) offer cosmetic surgical procedures within the United Kingdom (UK), a growing number of patients are opting to travel outside of the UK to undergo cosmetic surgery.

Aim

To assess the number of patients presenting to the Canniesburn Plastic Surgery Unit, with cosmetic surgery tourism complications, from outside of the UK, and the associated costs to NHS Scotland over a five-year period.

Methods

A retrospective case review of a prospectively maintained trauma database, which records all acute referrals, was undertaken analysing patients referred from January 1st 2019 to December 31st 2023 inclusive.

Results

81 patients presented over five years with complications of cosmetic surgery tourism. The most common presenting complaints were wound dehiscence (49.4%) or wound infection (24.7%). The total cost to NHS Scotland was £755,559.68 with an average of £9327.90 per patient.

Conclusion

This is the largest single centre cohort of cosmetic surgery tourism complications reported within the NHS to date; with rates on the rise, demand grows for increased patient information regarding healthcare tourism risks, a national consensus on the extent of NHS management and urgent international collaboration with policymakers is required to address this issue across borders.