MCT to improve patient safety in cosmetic surgery

The Medical Council of Thailand (MCT) has set up a committee to establish cosmetic surgery procedures that need to be performed by specialists to improve safety for consumers.

Sirachai Jindarak, president of the Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons of Thailand (SPRST), said yesterday the committee is working to examine each cosmetic surgery procedure to see whether it is complicated and associated with a high risk.

The move aims to clarify what kinds of procedures need to be performed only by a certified plastic surgeon, he added.

He was speaking yesterday at a seminar entitled “Asean Congress of Plastic Surgery 2017” held in Bangkok.

The session was attended by plastic surgeons from countries including Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, the Philippines and the US.

Currently, Thailand has around 320 board certified plastic surgeons.

Each year, the country is able to produce a handful of around 20 certified plastic surgeons, according Dr Sirachai.

Meanwhile, many beauty clinics claim they have plastic surgeons who are able to perform a procedure although they are not specialists, he said.

It is not illegal for a doctor to perform a cosmetic surgery procedure, he said, adding the country has faced a shortage of specialists.

Dr Sirachai cited the removal of a mole which carries low risk and could be performed by a doctor while liposuction carries a relatively high risk and must be carried out by a certified plastic surgeon.

He urged consumers who want to undergo cosmetic surgery to research procedures and look for a surgeon who is board-certified in a surgical specialty.

Consumers should not make a decision to undergo a procedure based on reports of patients who used services and got satisfactory results, he said.

He urged consumers to review a list of board-certified surgeons on the MCT and SPRST websites.

According to clinical professor Apirak Chuangsuwanit of the Department of Surgery, Siriraj Hospital’s Faculty of Medicine, specialty plastic surgery training takes five years.

A plastic surgeon, Sanguan Kunaporn, from Phuket International Hospital, said Thailand’s beauty clinics are attracting foreigners due to surgeons’ experience and expertise and modern facilities which are widely used.