Brit died during Brazilian butt lift after surgeon 'walked out halfway through op'

A British woman died having a Brazilian butt lift in Turkey after the surgeon walked out halfway through the procedure, an inquest has heard. Hayley Dowell, 38, had travelled across to Istanbul in October last year to get a package of surgeries including a tummy tuck, BBL and liposuction.

As reported by the Mirror, she paid more than £7,000 for the procedures at the BHT Clinic on October 2, where she died at “around midnight” on October 3 after suffering an embolism. Her husband Neil Dowell flew to Turkey with his wife on October 1 ahead of the surgery.

He said Hayley, from Eastleigh in Hampshire, had not been properly informed of the risks by doctors at the clinic before the operations and stated that medics had asked him to sign a consent form after she had died. Hayley is thought to be one of six Britons who died in Turkey in 2023 following botched medical procedures.

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The country is a popular destination for cosmetic surgery due to comparatively low prices, however it has been the subject of warnings by UK health officials. A preliminary hearing into her death at Winchester Coroner's Court was told that she suffered an embolism - an issue that can arise after surgery and causes a potentially fatal blood flow blockage.

"We found a surgeon that had a clinic named after himself. He was one of the [top five] surgeons in Turkey," Neil said. However, he says his wife had “only consented to two” of the three operations she had. "There was not any risk outlined to her," Neil claimed.

Hayley's mother, Ann, said her daughter “would not have known the risks” of one of the operations because she didn't consent to all three. Neil said he was concerned about a last-minute change to the length of the operation.

"It should have been a six-hour operation but it wound down to one hour 45 [minutes]," he said. "The surgeon left halfway through the operation and left the anaesthetist to do the job. You can't do both at the same time." He added: "They asked me to sign the consent form after she passed away, after the BBL."

A full inquest is due to take place in January and Coroner Nicholas Walker said he will conduct a full investigation into the information Hayley received and the circumstances of her death.

BHT Clinic states on its website that it boosts “the technological infrastructure and equipment available only in Turkey and in a limited number of centres in the world.”

The website also states: "We have the mission of 'Becoming a World Brand in Health' by applying patient and employee safety in international quality standards based on ethical principles with its medical infrastructure."

No representative from the clinic appeared at the hearing and it is not known whether one will be at the full inquest in January. According to medical tourism website Bookimed, BHT Clinic offers a "Premium Liposuction with Tummy Tuck and BBL All Included" for 8,838 [£7,314].

The Foreign Office website states that at least six Britons died in Turkey in 2023 following medical procedures. In 2022, it was reported that 17 Britons had died in the country since 2019 after medical tourism visits.

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