Taneesa Williamson The latest progress in the independent review into cosmetic surgery in Australia .
Today, The Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) , according to an ASAPS statement, have won their decades-long battle to protect the title of ‘surgeon’ under the national law, as Senator Anne Ruston put AHPRA’s CEO Martin Fletcher through a heavy round of questioning at yesterday’s Senate Estimates hearing.
Patients are relieved after what has been a decades-long fight to protect the title of ‘surgeon’ under the national law, while senators are still “deeply concerned” at the medical regulator’s lack of clarity.
Questions still remain around AHPRAs competency as they still stand in support of an ‘endorsement model’ which could see cosmetic surgeons grandfathered in.
Senator Ruston said, “I think that Australians would be very concerned at the lack of clarity you have been able to provide here today; that cosmetic cowboys will be off the market. I think that you have only served (to make me think) that there is going to be an ongoing process of being able to short-cut one’s way to a qualification that will enable them to cut up someone’s face.”
ASAPS president, Dr Timothy Edwards (pictured left) said: “Health ministers have finally recognised the significant danger around misuse of the title cosmetic surgeon. This move to protect the title of surgeon is common sense. You should not be able to perform invasive surgery if you are not a surgeon who has completed the Australian standard of surgical training that all surgeons must adhere to.”
Dr. Edwards cont.: “What contradicts today’s great achievements is AHPRA’s decision to still want to put in place a new inferior endorsement model which could see those who have misused the title of ‘surgeon’ grandfathered into a system created to allow them to perform surgery, despite those practitioners refusing to complete Australia’s surgical training requirements. Rather than regulate health practitioners according to the nation’s existing high surgical standards, they are creating new lesser standards to accommodate practitioners who want to bypass surgical training to perform invasive surgeries. This will put future Australian patients in great danger, yet again.”
During today’s hearing, AHPRA’s CEO Martin Fletcher referenced the regulator’s plans for a new endorsement model that could see medical practitioners without the correct surgical training to continue performing cosmetic surgery under a newly manufactured title.
It is worth noting AHPRA’s Key actions that have been taken since the release of the review back in September, such as the creation of a dedicated AHPRA Cosmetic Surgery Hotline, which as already resulted in the launch of thirteen new investigations over allegations of unsafe or inappropriate practice.
The Cosmetic Surgery Hotline has received 60 calls since it opened on 5 September. AHPRA is on average launching a new investigation each week based on these tip-offs. This new service makes it easier and safer for cosmetic surgery patients, or their family and friends, to report concerns. The launch of the hotline has been supported by an online campaign to encourage patients to report bad outcomes to ‘help make cosmetic surgery safer for everyone.’
Other actions taken include a crackdown on advertising guidelines and the creation of a Cosmetic Surgery Hub on the AHPRA website. The hub provides a single-entry point for the public and practitioners with information about cosmetic surgery practice, including the hotline, how to make a complaint, resources for the public to support safer choices, and resources for practitioners to support safer practice. The hub will also host all of AHPRA’s implementation work and updates.
Moreover, three draft documents are open for comment: a registration standard to establish an endorsement pathway, stronger guidelines for medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery, and advertising guidelines for cosmetic surgery. You can make a submission here.
What Has Been Arranged?
Under AHPRA’s proposed arrangement, medical practitioners will be permitted to advertise themselves as having an ‘endorsement’ for cosmetic surgery, even if they haven’t completed the correct training required to become a registered surgeon.
Commenting on the hypocrisy of AHPRA’s proposed endorsement model, ASAP’s President Dr Edwards stated: “AHPRA’s proposed new inferior endorsement model would see those who have misused the title of ‘surgeon’, grandfathered into a system created to allow them to perform surgery, despite those practitioners refusing to complete Australia’s surgical training requirements. To us, this is going backwards.”
“If you restrict the use of the term ‘surgeon’ to FRACS surgeons, and then endorse non-FRACS surgeons to perform cosmetic surgery, then either you were wrong to restrict the title or wrong to provide the endorsement. The two are mutually exclusive and you cannot have both.
At yesterday’s Senate Estimates hearing, Senator Anne Ruston said she remains “deeply concerned” and requested that AHPRA attend future senate hearings (today was the first time they have ever fronted Senate Estimates), to share further updates on the rollout of this very serious matter.
More on The Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS):
The Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) members are registered as specialists in plastic surgery by the medical councils of Australia and New Zealand, having undergone the foremost levels of Australian Medical Council-accredited training through RACS. All ASAPS members are fellows of RACS and are highly qualified and trained to perform world-class cosmetic surgery procedures.
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