Opinions on the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s proposal to tighten requirements for doctors to perform cosmetic surgeries differ, with medical groups issuing joint statements in support or against the policy change.
The ministry earlier this month announced its draft amendments to the Regulations for Using Specialized Equipment for Medical Examinations (特定醫療技術檢查檢驗醫療儀器施行或使用管理辦法), setting different qualification criteria for physicians performing cosmetic treatments depending on risk levels.
The proposed revisions would also require new physicians to finish two years of post-graduate training to qualify as cosmetic surgeons, and that clinics offering high-risk cosmetic surgeries would be subject to mandatory accreditation.
Photo: Taipei Times
The draft amendments are open for public comment for 30 days.
Last week, Taiwan Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (TSAPS) executive council member Chiu Cheng-hung (邱正宏) said that they were concerned the draft amendments lack transparency and evidence, and might have a big impact on the jobs of more than 10,000 workers at nearly 1,000 clinics.
Yesterday, TSPAS and five other medical groups — the Taiwan Aesthetic Medicine Industry Association, Taiwan Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Laser and Photonics Medicine Society of Taiwan, Taiwan Micro Invasive Aesthetic Society and Taiwan Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery — issued a joint statement expressing their concerns.
“When the public health authority sets medical policies, it should make a comprehensive consideration that is legal, fair and democratic,” they said.
Mandatory accreditation conflicts with existing law and is suspected of favoring a single accreditation facility, they said.
The government has touted the biomedical industry as a future star industry, but is now censuring and controlling, rather than encouraging, it, they added.
Mandatory accreditation is unnecessary, as Article 62 of the Medical Care Act (醫療法) already stipulates that hospitals shall establish medical care treatment quality control systems, and review and assess quality, while operations are regulated by several laws, they said.
“Accreditation should not be the ‘invisible hand’ used by the government to control the industry, and allowing the Joint Commission of Taiwan to be the single accreditation facility violates the principle of fairness,” they said.
Meanwhile, the Taiwan Hospital Association, Taiwan Nongovernmental Hospitals and Clinics Association, Taiwan College of Healthcare Executive and Taiwan Union of Nurses Association yesterday also issued a joint statement voicing their support for the draft amendments.
Safeguarding life cannot be discussed in marketing terms and healthcare protection must adopt the highest standards, they said.
Saying that “doctors might lose their jobs” is inaccurate, as “the nature of healthcare should be holistic care, not singularly dependent on cosmetics operations,” they said, adding that requiring doctors to undergo additional training shows that people’s safety is being prioritized.
The Joint Commission of Taiwan is the only legal accreditation facility, and the accreditation system is a necessary tool to guarantee healthcare quality, they said.
Moreover, the amendments’ proposed three-level risk management clearly differentiates between risks and would improve healthcare quality, they said.
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