A 50-year-old on Wednesday last week died while under anesthesia at a Taipei cosmetic clinic shortly after undergoing a penis enlargement procedure. The surgeon was arrested for suspected medical malpractice, again bringing to the surface shortcomings in the regulation of cosmetic medicine. Media reports said the clinic owner and surgeon, surnamed Ting (丁), was previously convicted of negligent homicide for a postsurgical death and had been charged with coercion and aggravated assault after allegedly stopping a patient from calling for an ambulance. He had also been fined for failing inspections and had allegedly permitted people without medical licenses to assist in surgeries. Nevertheless, he continued to operate his clinic after changing his name twice and his clinic several times.
The case is only the latest in a series of incidents related to cosmetic procedures, including a highly discussed case last year in which a model died after receiving the sedative propofol for a skin tightening treatment. People are becoming more concerned about the regulation of the industry. The Taiwan Alliance of Patients’ Organizations said that in addition to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s platform that lists medical professionals who have been convicted of sex offenses, the ministry should also publicize the names of cosmetic clinics that have committed medical contraventions.
Taiwan Society for Dermatological and Aesthetic Surgery chairman Tsai Ren-yu (蔡仁雨) said that as there are no “cosmetic medicine” specialty fellowship requirements for becoming a cosmetic surgeon, more doctors are entering the field directly after their internships, receiving training from courses provided by pharmaceutical and medical device companies, or from senior doctors. Some experts have suggested that “cosmetic medicine” be listed as a subspecialty, and fellowships should be required to perform certain cosmetic procedures.
Incidents of inexperienced surgeons performing cosmetic procedures with little oversight have raised concern in other countries as well, including in Japan, where young doctors are leaving state service to pursue private medicine. Japanese public broadcaster NHK last year reported that Japanese cities are seeing a sharp rise in the number of cosmetic clinics, and the country’s National Consumer Affairs Center received 5,833 complaints about cosmetic treatments in 2023, almost triple the number five years earlier.
The Taipei Department of Health received more than 90 reports of disputes over cosmetic procedures last year. Experts said the numbers are likely to be underestimated, as most of the cosmetic procedures are paid out-of-pocket and disputes are settled privately.
The nonprofit Joint Commission of Taiwan for hospital accreditation in 2019 launched the Aesthetic Medicine Clinic Quality Certification, which aims to ensure that cosmetic surgeons are accredited and that clinics meet infection control, equipment maintenance, emergency transportation and other standards. However, commission executive director Fang Cheng-chung (方震中) said that while Taiwan has more than 1,000 cosmetic clinics, only 40 sought certification, while more than 90 percent of people do not know about the organization or its accreditation.
The Department of Medical Affairs on Friday said it is considering tightening regulations on special medical techniques, but there are still technical issues to overcome to reveal physicians’ track records.
To improve the safety of cosmetic medicine, the government should tighten regulations and set up a reporting system to help people better understand the risks. It should pass laws requiring government agencies to publicize the criminal or disciplinary records of clinics and health professionals, and impose stricter supervision and harsher penalties on repeat offenders. The health ministry and local health departments can also enhance health communication to remind people about the risks.
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