Paper on rapid review revealing cost to the NHS from medical tourism is published

22 January 2026

A rapid review of evidence conducted by Health Technology Wales (HTW) on the cost medical tourism to the NHS has been published in the journal BMJ Open.

HTW researchers worked in collaboration with the Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre to conduct a rapid review of available data on costs and complications to the NHS from medical tourism. The review included 37 studies made up of evidence available until December 2024.

According to the peer reviewed paper published in BMJ Open, the costs to the NHS from medical tourism ranged from £1,058 to £19,549 per patient and the highest costs were associated with longer hospital stays and surgical treatments.

The most common complications from weight loss surgeries included abdominal pain, vomiting, inability to swallow and malnutrition, with gastric leaks being prevalent. Meanwhile cosmetic surgeries often resulted in infections and reopening of surgical wounds. No deaths were reported but many patients required complex treatment involving long hospital stays and multiple surgical interventions.

However, the researchers also warned that it is impossible to fully understand the risks of opting for surgery overseas as data on the use, frequency, and consequences for the NHS are incomplete and haphazard. They explained that the certainty of the evidence obtained from most of the studies was low as many of the studies were retrospective. Data was obtained from medical notes, which can be incomplete or wrongly coded. In addition, few of the studies included information on demographic details or previous medical history and not all outcomes were reported as part of the studies.

They added that this suggests the cost and complications arising from medical tourism could actually be underestimated.

Dr Clare England, Health Services Researcher, who co-authored the report, said:

"We do not know the full impact of medical tourism. However, it is clear from the evidence we found that it places a substantial burden on the NHS. This is due to the need to treat complications such as infections, wounds reopening, or inability to swallow, many of which can require complex treatment, revisional surgery and lengthy hospital stays."

"Members of the public who are considering going abroad for treatment should be made aware of the risks involved and our paper emphasises the need for awareness raising campaigns to highlight the potential pitfalls of medical tourism."

Dr Susan Myles, Director of Health Technology Wales, said:

"We work in partnership with partners across the health, care and technology sectors to support the delivery of health and care in Wales.

"As a Collaborating Partner of the Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre we play an important role in ensuring there is robust evidence available to support decision-making on health and social care policy."

Overall, the findings of the rapid review emphasise the substantial burden on the NHS caused by complications from outward medical tourism including financial costs and the strain on NHS resources.

The paper concludes that awareness-raising campaigns are needed to inform members of the public considering going abroad for surgery about the potential for complications.

Read Complications and costs to the NHS due to outward medical tourism for elective surgery: A rapid review