NMC received no complaints on unqualified persons performing aesthetic procedures: Health Minister
Doctor
New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has not received any complaints about any unqualified or unregistered persons performing aesthetic dermatology and laser treatments across the country, the Union Minister of State for Health, Smt Anupriya Patel informed the Rajya Sabha recently.
Minister Patel informed this while responding to the queries raised by a Parliament member, Shri Vivek K Tankha, who sought to know whether unqualified or unregistered persons are conducting aesthetic dermatology and laser treatments across the country, whether such unregulated practices have resulted in harm or fatalities to patients, and existing legal provisions are sufficient to govern these procedures, along with Government plans to enact a central law or create a dedicated regulatory body for oversight. He also questioned the measures being taken to ensure patient safety and ethical practice in this sector.
In response, Minister Patel informed that the National Medical Commission (NMC) issued the Guidelines on Aesthetic Surgery and Hair Transplant Procedures by a letter dated 20.09.2022 to ensure patient safety and uphold ethical medical practices.
"As informed by NMC, no such complaint has been received so far," she added.
"Further, the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of National Medical Commission (NMC) regulates the professional conduct and promotes medical ethics amongst the medical professionals. In addition, Clause 8.2 of Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 provides for a mechanism to handle complaint(s) with regard to professional misconduct by the medical professional (s)," Minister Patel further informed.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that in the notice dated 20.09.2022, NMC had provided clarification regarding the qualification of medical professionals to perform hair transplantation and aesthetic surgeries.
Regarding Hair Transplantation, NMC had stated-
"The hair transplant should preferably be undertaken only by those who have surgical grooming like formal surgical training such as MCh/DNB Plastic surgery, MD/DNB Dermatology with adequate grooming in dermatological surgical procedures. It is also noted that the above-named specialities have Hair transplantation as a core topic in their curriculum."
Regarding Aesthetic Surgeries, the Commission mentioned-
"Aesthetic Procedures should be undertaken only by those RMPs who have adequate training to do these procedures as per their curriculum. So, curriculum of various specialties should be guiding principle for all RMP's while undertaking any procedure including aesthetics & Hair transplant procedures."
In these guidelines, the Apex Medical Commission had mentioned that "Aesthetic Procedures including Hair Transplant as with any other surgical procedure, may have complications and requires skills and training in appropriate patient selection, differential diagnoses and surgical techniques and appropriate post procedure care to optimize outcomes. It is suggested that anyone who wishes to perform these procedures should be adequately knowledgeable and trained and should ensure that they have adequate infrastructure and manpower to manage any issues that may arise due to procedure performed."
Further, NMC had back then clarified that Aesthetic Procedures, including Hair Transplant are not an Emergency Surgery, and therefore, there is no case for allowing any untrained person to do it under the pretext of "Exceptional Circumstances".
