Doctor banned from Armadale skin clinic after Medical Board investigation

A DOCTOR has been forbidden from working at an Armadale clinic after complaints she let notorious deregistered cosmetic surgeon Cynthia Weinstein help her during procedures.

A DOCTOR has been forbidden from working at an Armdale clinic after complaints she let deregistered cosmetic surgeon Cynthia Weinstein help her during procedures.

Ms Weinstein — also known as “Dr Skin” — owns the clinic.

The Medical Board of Australia moved to immediately suspend Dr Galina Shvetsova’s licence pending the outcome of a hearing, after it received complaints the skin cancer specialist had delegated surgical tasks to Ms Weinstein, despite knowing she was unregistered, while working at Armadale’s CDC Clinics.

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But VCAT have permitted Dr Shvetsova, 60, to continue practicing at the St Kilda Superclinic, a general practice surgery in Acland St, where she has worked “without incident” for a decade.

She will front the board at a later date over claims she allegedly allowed Ms Weinstein to be involved in two skin cancer removal surgeries in April 2018 and July 2017.

In her detailed response to the board, Dr Shvetsova admitted she knew Ms Weinstein was unregistered but allowed her to help during the procedures, in one instance by “cauterising the bleeding vessels (and) trimming a small sliver of skin”.

Cynthia Weinstein doing skin resurfacing surgery before her licence was suspended. Picture: supplied

Dr Shvetsova said she had asked Ms Weinstein to help her because she was a “trained dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon and has over 20 years’ experience in skin cancer surgery”.

Ms Weinstein voluntarily cancelled her medical registration in 2010 after battling authorities for a decade, accused of botching at least six operations and carrying out hundreds of procedures while banned from performing cosmetic surgery.

In 2008 the health practioner regulation authority heard complaints from six patients, including a woman who suffered a lopsided face, swollen jaw and puckering of her skin and a woman who suffered infected eyes and eroded corneas after being exposed to a laser.

And in 2016 Ms Weinstein was ordered to pay $35,000 in legal costs after she was found guilty of posing as a registered practitioner, displaying qualifications and signage at her High St practice that duped customers into believing she was registered.

But during a review of the board’s decision to fully suspend Dr Shvetsova’s licence, VCAT found she should be allowed to continue treating patients at the St Kilda Superclinic.

Banned cosmetic surgeon Cynthia Weinstein leaves court in 2016. Picture: Ian Currie

Senior Member Elisabeth Wentworth noted Dr Shvetsova had “practised without incident at the St Kilda clinic since 2006” and ruled she be allowed to continue working out of the Acland St clinic until the board’s investigation is complete.

“There is no evidence (she) has practised in an unsafe way other than at the one particular location … (and) any risk appears to be confined (to the Armadale clinic),” she said.

“I am satisfied the risk to patient safety is confined to that part of her practice; that, for whatever reason, that location is an environment of risk for her, but she has demonstrated the ability to practise safely and appropriately at the St Kilda clinic.

“There is good argument that restriction on Dr Shvetsova’s practice is warranted but suspension from practice entirely may go beyond what is necessary to protect the public.”

Ms Wentworth this month ruled Dr Shvetsova be allowed to continue to practise under strict conditions, including banning her working out of CDC Clinics or with Ms Weinstein or allowing unregistered health practitioners to assist in any invasive procedures.

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