Bitter Lesson: Beware Medical Tourism Agency

London's Big Ben

Hiding a botched facial lift?



Here is a lesson that Medical Tourism Agencies anywhere in the world ought to consider very seriously. One agent in the UK had been sued for recommending a facial plastic surgery in Belgium which allegedly turned out nasty for the patient and now she is suing the company rather than the Plastic Surgeon.

Europe certainly lags behind the US in promoting insurance covering medical negligence. Many agencies, involved in arranging medical travel, don’t think they need protection or have the funds to buy a policy. Underwriters are reluctant to insure them because some are not licensed, appear to be new at the game or cannot present a professional way of selecting its roster of specialists.

A woman from Wales is suing a cosmetic surgery clinic in Belgium after she underwent cosmetic surgery a facelift.

Mrs X, who is in her 40s, is taking the UK-based Cosmetic Surgery Agency Group to court for personal injury, following a botched facelift and upper and lower eye procedure in 2005. The woman is now too embarrassed to be seen in public, claiming that she has been left with prominent scarring around the eyes and the ears.

She adds that she suffers numbness and a “lack of symmetry” on the left side of her face. To hide the scarring, she has had to grow her hair long.

Although the surgery was performed in Belgium, she is pressing charges in the UK. If she succeeds, it could pave the way for other patients, who may have received below standard healthcare abroad, but want to go to court in the UK where they can expect bigger payouts.

The agency, which has offices in London and Manchester, denies any liability, saying the procedure took place in Belgium, and thus, Belgian law should prevail. In that context, it is the attending surgeon who is legally responsible for any personal injury, not the firm he works for.

A spokeswoman said they did not accept responsibility for the case, however, they did feel they had a moral responsibility to try to put things right. “We are providing aftercare to correct errors. But generally patients are not reimbursed.”

The agency has offices in Paris, Utrecht, Manchester, London and Brussels.