Mon, Mar 24, 2008 The Straits Times
But MOH will let professional bodies decide on benefits of low-risk treatments
By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent
THE Ministry of Health (MOH) will draft rules to govern higher-risk beauty treatments, such as liposuction, said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday.
The guidelines will outline which doctors can perform the procedures, the training they need, and where they can be done, he said.
The move is designed to protect patients, said Mr Khaw, who gave liposuction as an example of a treatment that could be risky.
Today, the procedure is offered by doctors with various backgrounds - from plastic surgeons to general practitioners (GPs). Some do it in an operating theatre, while others use their clinics.
The minister said: 'Any operator who flouts the regulation will be investigated.'
'When asked whether the rules would extend to a recently publicised list of controversial aesthetic treatments, including mesotherapy, where a 'fat-busting' drug cocktail is injected, Mr Khaw said he was not familiar with the procedures.Mr Khaw's statement comes after a top Health Ministry official last week likened mesotherapy and 10 other treatments to 'snake oil'.
Dr Tan Chor Hiang, the ministry's senior director for health regulations, said doctors would be asked to stop the procedures unless they can provide scientific evidence that these treatments work.
This had some doctors - for whom these treatments made up a large part of their business - up in arms.
While some of the treatments might be banned in some countries, they are allowed in others, they argued.
Speaking to the media yesterday, Mr Khaw said he would leave it to the professional bodies - the College of Family Physicians and the Academy of Medicine - to decide if there are benefits to these treatments, which he called 'low-risk with dubious benefits'.
In a statement issued yesterday, the ministry said: 'Regulating this business is particularly challenging as often, scientific evidence is missing or inconclusive.'
Mr Khaw said the ministry is not changing its stance. But there are a lot of 'grey areas'.
He added: 'Meanwhile, doctors should be aware that they should not prescribe procedures of dubious benefits to their patients, exposing them to unnecessary risk or financial cost. If they do so, they will be considered unethical.'
Consumers need to take responsibility when they seek such treatments, the minister said, referring to reports that some people would look for other sources for the treatments if doctors are not allowed to do them.
Doctors who offer these treatments must also know that if things go wrong and patients complain, 'they could be subject to investigation', he said.
When contacted by The Straits Times last night, Dr Chong Yeh Woei, a GP who does some aesthetic treatments, said many countries are 'struggling' with this field.
The difficulty lies in the lack of data, he said.
'It's not going to be easy to come up with guidelines. But it's good they are addressing it. There must be a reason why they are concerned and, ultimately, patients' safety is paramount.'
salma@sph.com.sg
