Weight loss clinic doctor suspended

SLIMBAND

and in exchange the College withdrew a charge of incompetence.

It was not his first run-in with the regulator.

The hearing heard he had been cautioned — a lower form of censure — three times before for similar issues. And he was twice ordered to undergo remedial education, including having a personal “coach” in 2015.

As is the College’s policy, none of that history was made public, until a patient released one of those previous rulings to the National Post in 2014.

With extensive advertising on TV and the Internet, Slimband was the most visible of private clinics across the country that offer weight-loss surgery, and described itself the busiest. Yau said he has performed over 6,000 gastric-band surgeries, more than any other physician in the country, usually with “excellent results.”

A 2012 National Post report, however, quoted malpractice lawsuits and former Slimband employees who raised questions about whether patients who signed on following a persistent sales effort were adequately screened, sufficiently warned about possible complications or provided sufficient post-operative care.

The company said at the time that patients are fully informed of the risks and receive post-op service that is the best in the industry. It also cited customer surveys that showed the vast majority of patients were satisfied.

Though its website is still live, Slimband closed on March 22, said Elisabeth Widner, the College’s prosecuting lawyer. She did not explain reasons for the shutdown.

Like most of the other private clinics, Slimband implanted a liquid-filled band around the stomach, creating a small pocket and a narrow opening to the rest of the organ. The pocket fills with food quickly, making the patient feel full much sooner than normal.