NHS Grapples with Rising Costs from Medical Tourism Complications
February 3, 2026
The UK National Health Service faces a substantial financial burden due to complications arising from elective surgeries performed abroad, a growing trend in patient travel. A recent analysis reveals that treating these post-operative issues can cost the NHS between £1,058 and £19,549 per international patient.
The Impact of Cross-Border Healthcare
Conducted by Health Technology Wales in collaboration with the Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre, a comprehensive review explored the effects of outward medical tourism on the NHS, focusing on post-operative complications, associated expenditures, and potential benefits. The findings indicate that complications from procedures undertaken overseas are increasingly straining the UK healthcare system, often necessitating extended hospital stays, multiple surgical interventions, and intricate care upon patients' return to the UK.
Professor Adrian Edwards, Co-Director of the Division of Population Medicine at Cardiff University and Director of the Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre, highlighted the trend: "Outward medical tourism, where people seek elective medical treatment in a different country to the one in which they live, has been rising for several decades and is likely to continue to increase." He further noted the challenges in care delivery, stating, "Treatment of complications due to outward medical tourism can be costly and made more complicated because full information about the initial surgery may be unavailable."
Clare England from Health Technology Wales emphasized the public health implications, remarking, "We do not know the full impact of medical tourism, but the evidence found that the NHS is treating complications and people may require reversal or revision of the procedures they have had. Members of the public who are considering going abroad for treatment need to know that there are risks involved, and our paper emphasises the need for awareness-raising campaigns to highlight the potential pitfalls of medical tourism."
Key Findings and Patient Demographics
This research, published in BMJ Open, synthesized 37 studies between 2007 and 2025, detailing 655 patients treated by the NHS from 2006 to 2024 for complications following elective surgery abroad. The demographic profile of these international patients showed a clear pattern:
A significant majority (90%) were women, with an average age of 38 years.
Turkey emerged as the most frequent healthcare destination, accounting for 61% of cases, among 29 reported countries.
Complications predominantly stemmed from metabolic/bariatric surgery (385 patients) and cosmetic surgery (265 patients), with a smaller number from ophthalmic procedures.
For cosmetic surgery tourism, common issues included infection and wound breakdown.
Over half (at least 53%) of patients experienced severe complications, demanding major medical or surgical intervention.
These severe cases often led to prolonged hospital admissions. Patients with bariatric surgery complications averaged 17.3 days as an NHS inpatient, with some stays lasting up to 45 days. For cosmetic surgery complications, the average stay was 5.9 days, with a maximum reported duration of 49 days.
Professor Edwards also pointed out a critical data gap: "There is a major gap in national data on how many UK residents travel abroad for elective surgery and how often the NHS is required to treat resulting complications."
Bottom Line
The increasing trend of medical tourism for elective procedures poses a significant challenge to the quality of care and financial sustainability of the UK National Health Service. The findings underscore the imperative for prospective international patients to fully understand the risks associated with cross-border healthcare and the potential for severe complications requiring costly follow-up treatment within the UK system.
Read the full article here: https://www.miragenews.com/nhs-hit-by-costs-as-patients-opt-for-surgery-1613739/