It took an unnecessary death to get the politicians moving, but the recent COAG meeting of state premiers has tightened the rules on who may make claims to be " Cosmetic Surgeons ". Medical specialities are controlled by the Royal Australian College of Surgeons and this is the only body to train surgeons in Australia - and accreditation is only granted after eight to twelve years of specialised training.
In September a patient was rushed to hospital and subsequently dies when a botched procedure to deliver breast enhancement went wrong. It is alleged that the proprietor of a beauty clinic was undergoing this procedure in the hands of an overseas nurse here on a holiday visa and that there was a problem with the anaesthetic used. All this will be sorted out in a court action, but it has shone the spotlight on the need for qualifications to apply to many procedures which are opaquely described as " cosmetic " when the true description should be " medical ".
The title " cosmetic surgeon " is not recognised as an accredited speciality by the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority or the Australian Medical Council. As things stand, in theory a GP could present as a " cosmetic surgeon " and not have that claim challenged because the term has no Australian recognition as a medical speciality. As a consequence, anyone with any sort of medical qualification using the term is simply licensing themselves as a " specialist " !
In all states the regulations pertaining to medical titles will be strengthened. AHPRA's guidelines for medical advertising already stipulate that practitioners must be accredited and " approved for the purpose of the registration . It is essentially a breach of this code to use the term " Cosmetic Surgeon ".
No doubt this will curtail blatant advertising of cosmetic procedures in this country but it will do nothing to curb the industry enticing Australians to go overseas for cut price procedures which are often advertised as part of a holiday experience. The qualification of the surgeons who perform these procedures is totally unknown and patients have little recourse to legal action in the host country if things go wrong. Usually the only outcome is to return to Australia and seek remedial surgery in the Australian health system.
Usually, there is a very big discrepancy between the price asked at these overseas clinics and the quotes obtained here for comparison. There is no doubt that some clinics deliver very high standards, but an Australian visitor booking in from overseas has little chance of evaluating the standards of either the clinic or the surgeons who will deliver the procedure. A lot will depend on the rules in place stipulated by the government of that country - and they may fall far short of the standards applicable here.
Hopefully, these tightened Australian rules will stamp out a growing tendency for local cosmetic providers who match the prices of these overseas clinics by offering similar services in premises that lack the backup facilities of hospitals and which employ surgeons who have not trained in the disciplines claimed.
Standards have been slipping and this action will improve patient safety and lift the expectation of satisfactory outcomes.
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