Source : http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_476723.html
By Salma Khalik
THE number of complaints against general practitioners (GPs) for aesthetic treatments has gone up, with patients referring 12 GPs to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) last year.
The SMC received complaints against 11 GPs in 2008 and just six the year before, its spokesman told The Straits Times yesterday.
This is despite stricter rules introduced in November 2008 on the type of aesthetic treatments GPs can perform.
The SMC would not say what type of complaints have been levelled against GPs who are now banned from doing facelifts, rhinoplasty or nose surgery, and breast enhancements.
GPs who perform cosmetic procedures have been in the spotlight in the past years, with plastic surgeons insisting that only those qualified to perform such operations be allowed to do them.
Earlier this month, GP Zubin Medora was found guilty by the SMC – for a second time – of pretending to be a fully qualified plastic surgeon. (read more)
He had been suspended for six months last year for this offence. The SMC found him guilty again this year. He was fined $10,000, the maximum under the old Medical Registration Act.
Attention is now on the circumstances surrounding the Dec 30 death of Mr Franklin Heng, 44, a property boss who had liposuction at Reves Clinic in Orchard Road before he was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Efforts to revive the man had failed. (read more)
Under the new rules, GPs are allowed to do liposuction but can draw only 1 litre of fat each time, under local anaesthesia.
Despite tighter rules, plastic surgeons have been concerned that GPs have been allowed to offer liposuction, a surgical procedure to remove fat.
GPs would not be qualified to cope if things go wrong on the operating table, they argued.
Pending the findings of a coroner’s inquiry, the Health Ministry has ordered Reves Clinic to stop all liposuction treatments. Dr Jim Wong, one of the two doctors there, said he was cooperating with the authorities in their investigation. (read more)
Plastic surgeons, however, are also the subject of complaints to the SMC.
Over the past three years, nine plastic surgeons and 11 other specialists had to face the SMC. They included Dr Martin Huang, who was found guilty in October last year of using unproven techniques on patients. He was fined $5,000 for injecting them with animal foetal cells. (read more)
Based on the information SMC provided, it appears that patient complaints about aesthetic treatments have some basis. In 2008, for example, SMC cleared only two of the 20 doctors brought to its attention.
Ten were issued a letter of advice, five were given the more serious letter of warning, and three were referred to disciplinary committees.
Last year, two plastic surgeons and two other specialists joined the 12 GPs in getting complaints from patients.
Asked for an update on the proceedings, an SMC spokesman said it was still deciding on 10 cases. Of the rest, one will face a disciplinary hearing, four were either advised or warned and one was cleared of the charges.
Dr Lam Pin Min, head of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Health, was not surprised at the high number of complaints against doctors for aesthetic treatments.
He said: “Patients going through aesthetic and cosmetic treatment generally have higher expectations, especially so when they pay huge money for such treatments. Naturally they will expect nothing less than ‘perfect’ in the outcome of the treatment.”
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January 13th, 2010 → 4:43 am @