AHPRA lashed on plastic surgery

Health regulator is facing accusations it has failed to act despite mounting evidence untrained “cosmetic surgeons” are causing significant harm to unsuspecting patients

Les Blackstock.

The health regulator has been lashed for putting the community at “major risk of injury, loss and death”, as the peak body of plastic surgeons says the “devastating consequences” of untrained medical practitioners moonlighting as surgeons will continue unless regulations are enforced.

After hundreds of horrific, high-profile incidents involving medical practitioners masquerading as “cosmetic surgeons”, the Australasian Society of ­Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons engaged the medical regulator in a bid to improve regulatory oversight in the medical industry.

In their submission to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, obtained by The Australian, ASAPS said individuals falsely using surgical ­titles were “maliciously profiting” from the public’s lack of awareness and demanded AHPRA take appropriate action.

“That significantly illustrates the devastating consequences that can occur when health practitioners are allowed to parade as surgeons, free to market themselves using whatever title they please,” the submission said.

“The incessant breach of the national law is negatively affecting the standing of the medical profession and putting the community at major risk of injury, loss and death.”

ASAPS president Rob Sheen said the organisation had engaged with AHPRA in a bid to “enforce uniform and tighter regulations” around the use of misleading specialist titles.

After obtaining legal advice that determined the “deceptive and dangerous” use of the term “cosmetic surgeon” was in contravention of the law, Mr Sheen said he was disappointed to discover the health regulator had ignored their letter.

“We want to know what AHPRA is going to do to protect patients that mistakenly believe that cosmetic surgery is a regulated surgical specialty,” he said.

“While nothing is being done about grave oversight, the health and wellbeing of patients are at risk and patients are exposed to potential serious injury and, at times, death. If AHPRA will not enforce the law, who will?”

Cosmetic surgeons are not recognised as a speciality by the Australian Medical Council, and despite the law stipulating it is illegal to falsely use a specialist medical title, there is little to no consequences for medical practitioners who mislead customers by purporting to be “surgeons”.

In a statement, AHPRA said: “Use of the term ‘cosmetic surgeon’ is not considered a breach of the national law because there is no recognised medical specialty or specialty field of ‘cosmetic surgery’ or protected title relating to ‘cosmetic surgery’.”

After working with dozens of women who suffered at the hands of Les Blackstock, who operated for a decade despite having no specialist training or registration, Sydney-based plastic surgeon Rohit Kumar said the consequences of the health regulator’s inaction were impossible to ignore. “It seems unless more people die … those doctors continue to do this and flout the law, flout the regulations.”