Crackdown on dodgy cosmetic surgeons with heavy restrictions on medical profession

THE end is near for dodgy doctors masquerading as cosmetic surgeons, with the title to be heavily restricted under a proposal expected to be agreed to by Health Minister Greg Hunt and his state counterparts today.

THE end is near for dodgy doctors masquerading as cosmetic surgeons, with the title to be heavily restricted under a proposal expected to be agreed to by Health Minister Greg Hunt and his state counterparts today.

That will stop medical practitioners who are not specialised surgeons from misleading customers — a practice which has led the billion-dollar cosmetic surgery industry to be labelled the “wild, wild west” of medicine.

Federal health minister Greg Hunt is about to put a stop to “wild, wild west’ medicine

Leaked discussion points from today’s health ministers meeting obtained by The Daily Telegraph show the “use of the title cosmetic surgeon can create an impression that the practitioner holds specialist registration as a surgeon”.

The meeting is likely to agree to refer that to the Medical Board of Australia to restrict the use of the title to those who are actually qualified in plastic surgery.

The Saturday Telegraph revealed in September that medical school graduates were calling themselves cosmetic “surgeons” after completing just a half-day training course in breast enhancements and Botox, while some outfits such as the Enhance Clinic at Penrith even operated without a licence.

Other doctors were allowing nurses to administer Botox, and only supervising them on Skype, while one nurse said she knew of doctors who had failed their GP exams but were calling themselves cosmetic surgeons.

A woman undergoes a beauty treatment with Botox

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said that showed “cosmetic cowboys are rife throughout the cosmetic industry including in retail outlets in our shops and malls”.

“Everything that’s happened in the last few months has indicated there are people with syringes and chemicals in their hands doing things to people, mostly women, who just don’t understand the dangers,” he said.

Today’s health ministers’ meeting is also expected to endorse a NSW proposal for other states to launch a massive investigation into their cosmetic surgery industries, with that move strongly backed by Mr Hunt.

That would include investigating ­illegally imported prescription medicines used in cosmetic procedures and the lack of qualified doctors overseeing surgery.

“These issues are unlikely to be confined to NSW and jurisdictions should be aware that similar activity is likely to be taking place in their jurisdictions,” the memo circulated to ministers reads.

Mr Hunt said the NSW action was welcome and was supported by the federal government.

“The safety of patients is paramount” he said.

Mr Hazzard said: “I’m also looking forward to hearing Mr Hunt’s views on how the federal government might be able to do more hopefully to head off the illegal and often unapproved dangerous products coming in across our borders.

“These materials are just like any other weapon in the wrong people’s hands, and we all get the fact we should be stopping guns but in some cases these are every bit as dangerous.”