Negligence Leaves Woman £5,000 Out Of Cash

Injury lawyers are urging Brits to ensure they take extra care when choosing the right surgeon, after research revealed that the number of medical negligence claims made against cosmetic surgeons had soared.

Yet as the recession leaves more people looking abroad to have their operations, there is expected to be an increase in the number of persoal injuries caused by Brits to travel abroad for cheaper care.

A woman who was left with a disfigured nose after undergoing an operation for a nose job in Prague was unable to seek compensation for medical negligence.

The woman, from Birmingham, went abroad for her "cut-price plastic-surgery holiday" after she was promised "cosmetic surgery of the highest quality, while taking in the historic, beautiful cities of the Czech Republic," by an e-brochure.

Seemed professional

The 37-year-old beauty therapist said: "The website seemed professional, showing before and after shots, and the agency emailed me official-looking documents proving their credentials."

After booking her £2,000 package holiday with a nose job including ten days at a local hotel for recovery, she flew to Tabor where she was to undergo her operation.

When she arrived at the clinic, the woman stated that she felt nervous about the operation as "the surgeon didn't speak good English so [she] wasn't sure he fully understood" what she wanted to have done.

However, after the operation was over, she stated that she "wasn't in much pain" and that the "procedure itself went smoothly."

On the day the woman was set to fly back home, she was advised by her surgeon that "everything will settle."

However, the woman was left "mortified" as her four year ordeal began just a few weeks after she reached home when her nose began to change form.

She said: "The hard cartilage in the middle seemed to protrude more each day - it looked as if the tip was melting off. It was like a toucan's beak."

She stated that after a number of emails, her surgeon agreed to perform a revision operation, which meant she had to fork out an additional £500 for her flight and anaesthetic despite the surgery fees being waived.

Second oprtation for correction

A year after her first procedure, the woman went back to Prague for the second operation to correct the mistake.

She said: "I was told a general anaesthetic would cost £400 but I could have a local for about £100, so I agreed.

"It was horrible. The surgeon didn't explain what had gone wrong or what he was going to do. He just said he would "put it back."

She stated that after an hour into the operation, she felt severe pain in her nose and began to shake uncontrollably.

Three days after the operation, she flew home, yet within a month, her nose began to change form again.

She was told she was unable to get a refund and offered her more surgery.

After going to her GP, she was told the NHS would not be able to help "because it was a cosmetic problem" and ended up paying a further £2,800 to correct the procedure in the UK.

She said: "I feel like an idiot. I thought I was being clever and saving money by going abroad. I'm lucky I wasn't disfigured for life, or worse."

If you have been affected by medical negligence, find out if you can make a compensation claim.