Turkey surgery warning as mother-of-four dies after gastric sleeve

A father whose daughter died after travelling to Turkey for weight-loss surgery has urged people to think again before doing the same.

Shannon Meenan Browse from Londonderry was 32 when she died in August.

The mother-of-four travelled for a gastric sleeve operation 18 months ago but, according to her father, got sick almost straight away.

The family were told she died in Altnagelvin Hospital from "malnutrition due to gastric sleeve".

A BBC investigation in March found that seven British patients who travelled to Turkey for weight-loss surgery died after operations there, while others returned home with serious health issues.

One of the UK's leading bariatric surgeons, Prof David Kerrigan said people are taking a "massive risk" by travelling abroad for weight-loss surgery.

In the UK, he said, patients undergo a rigorous preparatory process that includes a psychological assessment and there is "a proper after-care programme".

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 6 September 2023