It was on my mind this morning – then this headline. HSE services are overwhelmed with complications from patients getting bariatric surgery abroad. Which is not actually news. At all.

Nothing about this surprises me. I see it in my own practice regularly. I’ve written extensively about the dangers of medical tourism in the Blog before. [See also:  Gastric Balloons Abroad are a Bad Idea but would a Registry Help?]

Why? It’s not just the serious immediate problems: complications from anaesthesia or wound infection. It’s the serious long-term problems that come from having bariatric surgery without appropriate follow-up which include things that are common but aren’t talked about enough: substance misuse, alcohol dependence, and signicant depression.

I cannot say this enough:

Do not get a gastric balloon or gastric band from any cosmetic or aesthetic clinic. It will NOT actually work long-term and there is a high risk of problems long term. But more importantly:

Do NOT get bariatric surgery abroad.

While this is in part due to the failure of the HSE to provide patients with obesity accessible to appropriate treatment for obesity, it still does not justify any of the companies that mislead patients or any of the predatory practices of medical tourism and aesthetic industries.

Let’s be very clear: Bariatric surgery – by experts, with appropriate intense pre-operative care AND long-term expert-led follow-up care – is the gold standard treatment of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. When done to standard of care, it is very safe and effective treatment.