Nov 21, 2007
It has been too long in coming, but the agency that regulates medical practices in Ontario is finally moving toward a crackdown on ill-trained cosmetic surgeons who may pose a risk to patients.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario has launched an investigation into 16 doctors who perform high-risk cosmetic procedures in private clinics. These physicians have not necessarily done anything wrong but there is concern over whether they have the qualifications and training necessary for full public confidence in their abilities. The doctors came under scrutiny after the college had physicians fill out a mandatory questionnaire about the nature of their cosmetic surgery practice and their qualifications. Another 20 doctors did not answer all necessary questions and have been told they risk losing their medical licence unless they respond to the survey.
None of the physicians in question has been identified by the college.
The 16 doctors who are of most concern are being evaluated by trained assessors and, in the absence of hard evidence of problems, the college insists they have a right to continue practising.
That's fair, but patients also have a right to be told that their doctor is under investigation, or that their physician failed to complete a mandatory questionnaire concerning professional qualifications.
Instead, the college has opted to leave Ontarians in the dark.
The current crackdown comes less than two months after Krista Stryland, a Toronto mother and real estate agent, died in the wake of liposuction from a self-dubbed "cosmetic surgeon" who was not a certified plastic surgeon. That tragedy happened after years of official inaction on this public safety issue.
Hopefully no one else will die as the college assesses doctors whose right to continue doing business trumps the public's right to know.
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