Mum-of-two died after weight loss surgery in Turkey | UK News

A mum-of-two died in Turkey while undergoing weight loss surgery because a doctor accidentally punctured her abdomen.

Emma Morrissey, from Cheshire, died last summer after she had gastric sleeve surgery on July 6 2022 — which she was not eligible for on the NHS.

A coroner warned the 44-year-old died from a ‘massive bleed’ rather than the ‘natural causes’ Termessos Hospital in Antalya claimed she died from.

Jacqueline Devonish, senior coroner for Cheshire, has written to the company that arranged the procedure called Regenesis Health Travel, for failing to carry out the necessary checks to make sure Emma was fit for the op.

She warned there is a risk of deaths occurring in the future under similar circumstances unless ‘action is taken’. 

Regenisis’s website states it provides ‘all flights, 24/7 transport service, interpreter service and accommodations to offer our patients ultimate comfort and care’ despite Emma’s death.

Ms Devonish said Regenesis UK relied on information Emma provided about her health and ‘made no independent enquiries’ to confirm she was medically fit to undergo the op. 

There was no evidence the form Emma filled out about her health was created by an expert and it failed to ask about her family history.

Ms Devonish wrote: ‘There has been no evidence of an investigation into the operating table death by the Ministry of Health in Turkey, the private Termessos Hospital or Regenesis UK despite Regenesis having been informed that the death had been caused by the surgeon during the operation.

Hospital medics also failed to correctly prepare Emma’s body for return to the UK, meaning she was at risk of decomposition and a health risk to professionals.

Ms Devonish has issued a prevention of future death report to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Warrington Council and Private Termessos Hastanesi. 

She said they have the power to take action to prevent similar deaths and ordered them to respond to her by October 30. 

Gastric sleeve surgery works by making people feel full sooner even if they haven’t eaten as much.

It is only available on the NHS to those who are obese, who have tried all other weight loss methods, agree to make healthy lifestyle changes post-surgery and are fit and healthy enough to have the op.

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