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Metro
5 days ago
- Health
- Metro
'I nearly died getting cosmetic surgery in Turkey. I don't recommend it'
A woman who ended up fighting for her life after infections following cosmetic surgery in Turkey says people should 'take the hit' and pay more for operations in the UK. Katrina Marshall, a mother-of-four from Hastings, still has scars from surgery three years ago and suffers pain in what she described as a 'horrendous' experience. She flew to Turkey for breast implants, a tummy tuck and a Brazilian butt lift procedure in 2022. She paid a company more than £6,000 in a 'package deal' for the three operations and accommodation. Following the operations, all carried out in one day, she returned to the UK and developed infections, which left her in excruciating pain. She told Metro she had reported her symptoms to the surgeon who offered pain relief medicine. Katrina, 46, a school bus driver, said: 'I flew to Turkey for the procedures as it was cheaper than in the UK but it turned into a nightmare. I had three procedures and soon after something didn't feel right. I was in pain. I was given pain relief and then returned to the UK. 'Then I got really ill and was rushed into hospital. I had four blood clots and severe infections. I was told I could have died. The NHS saved me. 'For anyone thinking they are saving money by going to have the surgery in Turkey I would say think again. If things go wrong it's better to be in the UK. It's a false economy, save up more and have the surgery here.' Images of the severe infections seen by Metro show the extent of the damage to Katrina's body following the medical complications following the surgery. Metro has chosen not to run the images due to the graphic nature of her injuries. After her infections and clots were treated by the NHS she paid a cosmetic surgeon in the UK £10,500 to repair the damage but she still has some scarring and pain. She added: 'It's been a nightmare it really has. The company in Turkey offered to do the surgery again free of charge but there's no way I was going back after that experience. I would advise people to take the hit and pay more for surgery in the UK. 'I don't want others to go through what I have. The toll on my body has been so bad and I was told without emergency treatment I would not be here now. It's been very distressing for the whole family.' A statement from BlueCare, the company in Turkey which organised Katrina's surgery, said in a statement: 'Mrs Katrina Marie Marshall approached us for a full mommy makeover, which included 360° liposuction with tummy tuck, breast lift with silicone augmentation, and a BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift). 'She visited the hospital on May 27th, 2022, for consultation and medical analysis. Her surgery was successfully performed on May 28th, 2022. 'On June 22nd, 2022, Mrs. Katrina informed us that she had returned to the hospital due to an infection in her breast area. We maintained regular follow-up with her until September 4th, 2022, when she informed us that the implants had to be removed. 'Following this, we coordinated with the surgeon and extended an offer for a revision treatment, which included all necessary medical work, at no additional cost. This offer was made for October 15th, 2022, once her breasts had fully healed. However, we did not receive any further communication from her. 'Please note that prior to undergoing such procedures, every patient is thoroughly informed of the associated risks, including up to a 30% chance of post-operative infection. No operation is performed without the patient's informed consent and signed documentation. 'We deeply regret the difficulties Mrs. Katrina faced during her recovery and remain open and ready to cooperate in any way that could support her moving forward.' More Trending Last week, experts told the British Medical Journal that the out-of-pocket cost for weight loss surgery done privately in the UK is around £10, 000 to £15,000, but £2,500 to £4,500 in countries such as Turkey. They added that 5,000 people from the UK travel to overseas each year to have surgical weight loss treatments, known as 'medical tourism'. Figures from the Foreign Office show that between 2019 and March 2024, at least 28 British people died due to elective surgeries in Turkey. Nurses and medics have previously warned MPs about the rising numbers of weight loss surgeries available abroad, and said complications linked to cosmetic surgery have become a 'significant burden' on the NHS. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: British women beaten and stamped on in row over bill at Turkish restaurant MORE: Footballer Paige Bowyer-Walker, 20, dies after being hit by car in Turkey MORE: The cheapest package holiday destinations for 2025 as Spain and Cyprus soar in price
ABC News
23-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Telstra tower upgrades touted as 'safety issue' by locals in southern Queensland town
A mobile outage caused by 5G upgrades to a Telstra base tower has left many in the Western Downs hub of Dalby in Queensland unable to make or receive calls, texts, or access the internet. Locals have called it a safety issue, while businesses and medical carers have been at a standstill. The town with a population of more than 13,000 people was warned of the disruption last Wednesday via text. Residents like Craig Tobin say the outage, expected to last for up to two weeks, is a "disgrace". "I drove out of Dalby last night until I got signal because my family in Brisbane, elderly parents, didn't know why I didn't have reception for days," he said. "I can't believe people are saying: 'Ah well, we just don't have phones for up to two weeks.' Telstra's regional general manager, May Boisen, said connections like NBN, satellite internet or landline, and calls through wi-fi — as well as other telco providers — have been unaffected. But the impact on locals has been significant. "I have three Telstra devices; I have no signal on all of them," Mr Tobin said. "I've been using my Telstra hotspot at home for my wi-fi … I'm not hooked into the NBN yet, as I moved into my house four weeks ago and am waiting for it to be put on." Dalby Chamber of Commerce's Anna Story said it was a "massive" safety issue and was impacting businesses. Aged care facility BlueCare said staff were unable to give or receive calls from clients, and carers were unable to access client details. "Clients' safety is impacted as we are unable to call them or their family members to see if they are OK," a spokesperson said. "Staff are at risk if something happens to them and they can't call for help. The care provider had purchased an Optus service to work around the problem. Smaller businesses have also vented their frustrations. "I'm so cranky," hairdresser Mel Drier said. "It's been a real mess around for me and has severely impacted my business. "I had a client who cancelled, but I didn't know that because I had no service … I'm having to write down names and numbers and wait until I get home to contact my clients later at night." Many businesses are using cash only, including a medical practice and a local cab company. Demand on the network was growing by 30 per cent year-on-year, according to Telstra. Ms Boisen said the lengthy upgrades and outages were a necessity. "For those that are technically minded, it's actually like a six-sectored mobile base station, which is a big base station," she said. "I'll give you an example. My husband is a diabetic. I don't need the landline, but I have it because mobiles will go down, and we do need to repair mobile base stations. "If we misunderstood what our customers were wanting to use our network for, then we wouldn't be upgrading our network." Triple-0 calls are diverted through other providers' mobile towers, even when called from a Telstra phone. Any calls that have not connected through will be investigated by Telstra. Services are scheduled to come back online progressively by Monday. Full mobile coverage is expected to be impacted until June 30.
ABC News
04-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Uniting Care to cut 120 Queensland jobs ahead of aged care reforms
Frail and elderly Queenslanders relying on in-home nursing care will be impacted by a new round of job cuts to Uniting Care services. The healthcare provider will cut about 120 jobs from its Blue Care community services division, which provides at-home care for vulnerable and elderly people. The organisation's group executive, Maria McLaughlin-Rolfe, said the charity would make the cuts "as part of a strategy to position itself for operational sustainability" ahead of the federal government's long-awaited aged care reforms. "Regrettably, this change and the impact of reform mean some roles are no longer viable or required," Ms McLaughlin-Rolfe said in a statement. The job cuts come just over a year after the organisation sacked about 340 employees. Financial documents show Uniting Care recorded a loss of nearly $95 million last financial year, up from a $53 million loss in the previous year. Ms McLaughlin-Rolfe said no frontline care staff would lose their jobs in the latest round of cuts. Aged care reforms passed by the previous federal government in bipartisan support with the Coalition will change how home care operates. The reforms were due to take effect from July 1 but have been delayed until November. The new Support at Home program will replace existing home care packages, which provide services including in-home nursing care and support with everyday living, such as cleaning and gardening. Access to government support will also be subject to greater means testing, with full pensioners to pay 5 per cent of support costs, while self-funded retirees will pay up to half of the costs. The chief executive of Townsville-based disability support not-for-profit Selectability, Debra Burden, said the care industry was dealing with an uncertain environment ahead of the reforms coming into effect. She said regional parts of Queensland would feel the effects because there were fewer accessible alternatives. "The hard thing will be for the sector to transition from the previous model of care where they had more choice and control than the recipients to the new model," she said. "The concern we have is that the impact will be on the services that Blue Care typically provides across the regions where we deliver services, which is across most of regional Queensland. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the delay to enacting the reforms would ensure "all of the systems are in place to deliver a smooth transition to the new laws".
