I've been following the reporting on the inquest into the death of Morgan Ribiero, the 20 year old who travelled to Turkey for weight loss surgery and never made it home. As a doctor, and now as someone who spends every day thinking about patient safety, it's a story that stays with you.
My thoughts are with Morgan's family. I hope the inquest brings them some measure of peace.
There is a hard truth underneath this case. With NHS waiting lists still long, more people are looking abroad for quicker, cheaper options. Those options are often wrapped in slick advertising and promoted by influencers, and it can be very difficult to see the full picture. In some cases, as here, people believe they are booking with a UK based company when actually they aren't.
Going abroad for treatment isn't always the wrong choice. But standards and regulations vary enormously from one country to the next, and when something goes wrong, getting help or making a complaint is far harder. Follow up care, the cost of returning, and being treated miles from the people you love all matter too.
At Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) we publish independent data on private hospitals and consultants here in the UK, so patients can make informed choices. That kind of transparency rarely exists elsewhere. If you or someone you love is considering a procedure, our free and unbiased site (www.phin.org.uk) is a good place to start, including the questions worth asking.
If Morgan's case reminds us of anything, it is that the price and the appeal of the location should never be the first thing we weigh.
This story was first published on Ian's LinkedIn profile. .
