British medical tourists turn to Türkiye to avoid NHS delays, high private costs

A growing number of British citizens are traveling to Türkiye for cheaper medical and cosmetic treatments.

Many want to avoid long NHS waiting lists or costly private clinics in the U.K. The rise in medical tourism continues even as British media reports safety concerns and botched procedures increase.

British patients turn to Türkiye for cheaper dental work, IVF, cosmetic surgery

In February, around 100 clinics from Türkiye took part in the London International Health Tourism Expo.

The event took place at the foot of Westminster Abbey and attracted a crowd of potential patients. Turkish clinics promoted services such as dental implants, IVF, cosmetic surgery, and hair transplants.

Amber Dee, a 48-year-old British woman of Turkish origin, visited the expo to learn more about eyelid surgery. She had already received dental implants in Türkiye three years earlier. “It’s so expensive here!” she said.

Dee explained that she paid £8,000 ($10,350) in Türkiye for a full set of dental implants, while a single tooth in the U.K. would have cost her £4,000.

Data from the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics shows that the number of British residents seeking medical treatment abroad rose sharply between 2021 and 2023. The figure increased from 234,000 to 431,000 in just two years.

One of the main reasons behind this trend is the difficulty of accessing health care in the U.K. Many patients face long waiting lists in the NHS and cannot afford private care. A recent Ipsos poll for the PA news agency found that nearly one in five Britons who could not get a dentist appointment chose to go abroad.

“Health care accessibility is a big problem, and another one is the private health care prices,” said Merve Sarigul, U.K. sales representative for Türkiye’s Acibadem private hospital group. “So we are trying to make it smooth and easier for U.K. patients.”

According to Sarigul, Acibadem offers a wide range of services, including plastic surgery and organ transplants.

Social media drives interest in medical tourism to Türkiye despite safety risks

British influencers and reality TV personalities have helped drive interest in procedures abroad. Katie Price and other celebrities have documented cosmetic treatments in Türkiye on their social media accounts. They have also promoted clinics to their large number of followers.

But not all experiences end well. Between 2018 and 2022, more than 300 patients required hospital care in the U.K. after surgeries performed overseas. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons published these figures in a recent report.

In March 2023, a U.K. government minister told parliament that at least 28 British nationals had died in Türkiye after elective medical procedures since 2019.

Jonathan Edelheit, head of the U.S.-based Medical Tourism Association, said some patients choose the wrong clinics. “Some people make poor choices,” he said, “by seeking out the lowest cost provider and trusting anyone online.” He advised patients to choose accredited facilities for better safety.

Türkiye introduces certification for clinics to increase health security

In 2017, Türkiye launched a certification system for facilities that treat foreign patients. The government now requires all health tourism clinics to obtain official certification.

By 2024, around 4,000 certified facilities were operating in the country, treating about 2 million foreign patients.

Still, concerns remain even for certified providers. Last year, French student Mathieu Vigier Latour died after a failed beard transplant at a certified clinic in Istanbul, according to his father. He said his son took his own life after the operation went wrong.

Ilayda Secer, deputy general manager of the London Health Tourism Expo, commented on the issue. “We take health very seriously,” she said, “and we believe one-to-one conversations create less room for errors.”

Since 2023, the Turkish group ALZ International has held similar expos in Berlin, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Baku, and Moscow. These events attracted thousands of visitors interested in treatment options abroad.

Despite the risks, British patients continue to travel to Türkiye in large numbers. The promise of affordable care and fast treatment keeps many coming—often with hopes of finding a solution they cannot afford or access at home.