‘Dr. Lip Job’ gets suspended sentence for posing as physician
A woman who forged a medical licence so she could buy pharmaceuticals like Botox to then inject into duped customers has been given a 30-day suspended sentence and two years’ probation in B.C. Supreme Court.
Rajdeep Kaur Khakh’s misdeeds included contempt of court and passing herself off as a doctor so she could inject Botox into facial wrinkles and filler material into lips or other facial areas. Only licensed and trained doctors, dentists, registered nurses (or nurse practitioners) under the supervision of doctors, and naturopaths are allowed to perform such procedures under Health Professions Act regulations and Ministry of Health scopes of practice.
Khakh, who couldn’t be reached for comment, was cited for contempt in March 2018; she signed a consent order at the time prohibiting her from “practising medicine.” But last July, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. learned Khakh was up to her old tricks, administering dermal fillers “numerous times at a location in Vancouver.”
The college has been trying to stop Khakh from posing as a doctor for more than three years but each time the college got promises from her to stop, she would continue to do it. For a time, she marketed her services under the Instagram handle “DrLipJob.” She also marketed herself as Dr. Rajii or Dr. R.K., when she injected customers in their homes, cars and other locations.
Although Khakh avoided jail, college spokeswoman Susan Prins expressed satisfaction with the sentence.
“The college ... believes that the judge’s reasons will accomplish the task of getting Ms. Khakh to obey and respect court orders in future, and deter other unlicensed practitioners from engaging in unlawful practice. In her comments, Madame Justice (Nitya) Iyer sent a very serious message to Ms. Khakh about breaching consent orders and emphasized the critical public-protection role that regulators fulfil.”
Last November, the college filed a petition with the court that sought to have Khakh fined for contempt and/or jailed. Under the current sentence, she’ll have to serve 30 days in jail if she breaches any of the terms. Khakh must report to a probation supervi- sor once a week and must also pay a $5,000 fine. Of that amount, $300 is going to go to a former customer who was a witness for the college.
The college first learned of Khakh in 2015 from pharmaceutical companies who said she owed $164,000 for products that were advanced on credit. At the time, Khakh was providing services at a spa in Surrey and using a forged medical licence.