Exclusive:
The Mirror went undercover at London’s International Health Tourism Expo – one reporter was offered new teeth after a two-second consultation, and a hospital rep claimed a three-year-old with autism could benefit from controversial treatments
A Mirror undercover investigation has highlighted the extraordinary range of treatments available to health tourists in Turkey.
From butt lifts to unproven autism remedies, from shining new teeth to coyly described “genital aesthetics”, a bizarre and sometimes worrying world is on show at an exhibition in London.
One dentist offered an undercover reporter 20 new teeth after a two-second consultation and a hospital rep claimed a three-year-old with autism could benefit from controversial treatments.
The International Health Tourism Expo is run by Turkish firm ALZ International at the QEII Centre just a stone’s throw from Parliament. It has 80 stalls showcasing the booming health tourism industry which attracted 1.8 million patients last year. Its UK market is growing… but at a cost.
Since 2019 at least 28 British people have died after cheap cosmetic surgery in Turkey. Posing as relatives of a three-year-old with autism, we asked non-medical rep Enes Jamini from Emsey Hospital’s Stem Cell Therapy Centre in Istanbul about treatment.
He began by saying the process is at a clinical trial stage and not always successful. But within minutes he told us it could help ease symptoms. “If they are not talking, they start talking,” he claimed. “If they are throwing tantrums, they are being more calm.”
Asked if it would work for any degree of severity, he said: “I think so, yes.” The price? Between £5,500 and £8,000 per treatment. Two to three sessions were recommended at three-week intervals making a total cost of up to £24,000. Tim Nicholls, assistant director of policy, research and strategy at the National Autistic Society, responded: “It’s outrageous. Autism is not an illness, it cannot be treated and there is no cure.
“There is no good evidence about stem cells and autism. There are also concerns about the regulation of procedures, which could be painful or even dangerous.” Declan Murphy, professor of psychiatry and brain maturation at King’s College London, said: “There is no evidence whatsoever to support the use of stem cells as a treatment for autism. Instead, the best-quality evidence suggests this is a bogus treatment.” Enes told us stem-cell treatment alone might not be enough.
The centre’s “autism packages” include ozone therapy, a controversial treatment where a form of oxygen is injected. According to Enes: “It gives you energy. It is not harmful.” He said we could make a free online appointment to talk to a doctor and they would decide on suitability.
Later we spoke to the Antalya-based Excellent Smile clinic. Our reporter inquired about possible dental work and was asked to smile for the non-English-speaking surgeon sitting a metre away across the table. With no more than a two-second glance, he told his English-speaking assistant our man needed “10 zirconia crowns up and 10 down”.
With four nights at a hotel near the beach the full cost would be £1,600, reduced from £2,400. Tom Thayer, a lecturer at the Royal Liverpool University Dental Hospital, looked at a picture of our journalist’s teeth and called the proposed work “unethical, destructive treatment you simply don’t need”.
He said: “A two-second assessment from a metre away is totally inadequate.” He added that a big issue with “Turkey teeth” done at any surgery is if things go wrong later. “Many UK dentists will not deal with these patients and they are unable to get further care.” The Mirror put the experts’ reactions to both Emsey Hospital’s Stem Cell Therapy Centre and Excellent Smile clinic. Neither has yet replied.
