Loose management: Beauty salons "freely" operate

(Baonghean) - Although cosmetic surgery is currently fraught with many risks. But in Vinh City, there are still many unlicensed cosmetic surgery facilities that openly advertise and openly operate. And every day, many ignorant women who want to beautify themselves come here in the hope of achieving the beauty they desire. The result is "lost money, got sick"...

“Lost money, got sick”…

Following a friend's advertisement, we went to a cosmetic facility at 147 - Van Duc Giai (Vinh City) with the need to raise the bridge of the nose. As soon as we entered, we saw a woman inviting us warmly: "What are you doing? Skin care or surgery?". I quickly said: "I'm looking into doing both!". She examined my face and pointed out all the flaws that she said I had to rely on the "golden hands" of her husband, the doctor, to be more beautiful. I tried to use all my knowledge in this field to ask to see the nose shapes and the prices of each type, but she refused and simply said: "If you want to have a nose job, there are many prices, your nose only needs Korean cartilage to be beautiful and the price is only 8 million, this is cheap, beautiful and safe". Then she handed me a card that said: Doctor Nguyen Huu Liem - Level 1 Dermatology Expert: Creating double eyelids, treating droopy eyelids, creating cleft chins, rhinoplasty, reducing the size of the nostrils, creating perineum... and many other attractive services.

Using the excuse of having to wait for the doctor to be examined and consulted before the surgery, we waited in the waiting room without registering for any service. On the clinic's glass cabinet were many plastic-laminated certificates with certificates such as Dermatology Specialist 1, certificates of attending the Plastic Surgery Conference, but the certificate of graduation from the plastic surgery course and the practice license were nowhere to be seen... After waiting for a long time, the doctor finally came out, I expressed my wish to have a nose job. The doctor carefully examined my nose to see what kind of surgery I could have, then took out his phone to show me the previous surgeries he had performed at this clinic. All the before and after photos were very impressive. He said: "There are cases where people come here to correct their eyelids, nose bridge and lip shape, and now they look very beautiful. As for nose jobs, I have performed dozens of cases. If I do it tomorrow afternoon, I will call in advance tomorrow morning to sterilize the instruments and close the door for customers." I suggested that I wanted to see a nose job to boost my morale, but my wife disagreed: “If you don’t trust me, don’t do it!”, then she gave us an unfriendly look and escorted us out the door.

Following the huge advertising sign at the Vinh market intersection with attractive invitations such as "Korean rhinoplasty, comprehensive cosmetic surgery", we arrived at the cosmetic surgery facility of Dr. Vu The Hung located in an alley on Le Viet Thuat Street (Vinh City), and the doctor's wife welcomed us. We thought that this would be a clinic as big as the advertising sign, but this is the private home of the doctor and his wife and there is absolutely no "sign" of a medical facility. Through the wife's words, we learned that the doctor is studying in Hanoi and only performs cosmetic surgeries on Saturdays and Sundays. The wife tried to advertise that in Vinh there is no one qualified to perform cosmetic surgery except her husband. Then she "proudly" showed us the Certificate of Specialized Orientation in Plastic Surgery that he had just been awarded. When asked about her practice license, she said nothing and said that “there is no license like that certificate” because in Vinh there is no one who has been trained in the plastic surgery department like her husband. We also got an appointment on Saturday with the advertised price of 15 million VND to have a straight and beautiful nose bridge like a Korean nose.

Without a license, Dr. Vu The Hung's facility still brazenly advertises at Vinh market intersection.

After much hesitation and worry because of her unattractive nose, my friend Yen went to TTH cosmetic surgery facility in Vinh City to fulfill her dream of becoming beautiful. However, before she could be excited and confident because of her straight Korean nose bridge, after 2 weeks, her nose showed signs of rejection. After many examinations, both the doctor and she came to an agreement to remove the "nose" and the doctor confirmed that the cause was because her pathogenesis was incompatible with this type of silicone nose bridge.

“Lost money and got nothing”, the total cost for her Korean nose was up to 16 million VND but now her nose is worse than before the surgery because of a scar on the bridge of her nose. Like Ms. Yen, my friend Ms. Binh has droopy eyelids, she lacks confidence when communicating and her wish is to “go to the Central Government to get double eyelids”. When cosmetic surgery services flourished in Vinh City, she had the opportunity to make her dream come true. After having eyelid surgery at TN Cosmetic Hospital, she eagerly waited for the day she would have sparkling double eyelids as the owner of this facility promised. However, after 2 months, then 3 months, she only felt her eyes were blurry like someone with trachoma. She called the owner of the facility 5 or 7 times for advice, but the owner reassured her “wait a few more months”. Ms. Yen and Ms. Binh both confirmed that before the surgery, they were not given any services such as blood tests, antibiotic reaction tests, and did not sign any documents related to the commitment between the doctor and the patient undergoing surgery.

Lax management

Looking for an answer to the question of why, while the whole country is tightening the control of cosmetic surgery facilities, these services are still flourishing in Vinh City? Surprisingly, the Head of the Department of Private Medical and Pharmaceutical Practice Management - Tran Van Linh said: "Only Thai Thuong Hoang Hospital is licensed for cosmetic surgery services". We told him that 2 of the many facilities are blatantly and recklessly performing this service, he said: "This time we are inspecting cosmetic facilities in the city but the city has not reported these two facilities".

At the City Health Department, which directly manages private medical and pharmaceutical establishments, Mr. Ho Van Nam - Head of the Health Department confidently affirmed: "We have just inspected 13 beauty salons and fined 5 establishments for violating the regulations on advertising contrary to their licenses. But we absolutely did not see these 2 establishments. And in Vinh City, besides Thai Thuong Hoang Hospital, there is definitely no other unit performing cosmetic surgery." Seeing the head of the department answer so confidently, we showed a photo of a large advertising poster right at the Vinh market intersection and asked: "Do you see this advertising poster?", Mr. Nam replied: "I saw it during the last inspection, but I could not get in because it was raining so hard that day, the road was difficult for cars to enter?". We presented evidence of audio recordings of appointments with witnesses who had undergone cosmetic surgery at the facility on Van Duc Giai Street - Mr. Ho Van Nam eagerly said: "If so, we will establish an inspection team and impose penalties immediately."

On the morning of December 22, the Vinh City interdisciplinary inspection team led by Mr. Ho Van Nam made a surprise inspection at the private home and after-hours clinic of Dr. Vu The Hung at No. 13, Lane 30, Le Viet Thuat Street, Ngu Phuc Hamlet, Hung Loc Commune. The team members included 2 officials from the Health Department, 1 official from the Vinh City Tax Department, and a representative from Vinh City Hospital. The team arrived at Dr. Hung's cosmetic facility at 9:00 a.m. At that time, both the doctor and his wife were away, and the clinic was closed. The team called Dr. Hung to come back to work...

During the inspection, the delegation asked Dr. Hung to provide relevant licensing documents and certificates, and also conducted a physical examination of the clinic's facilities... Upon examining the documents, the delegation discovered that: The operating license and medical practice certificate of Dr. Vu The Hung (working at the Department of Surgery, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital) had expired since December 2010. The operating license only allowed the scope of activities to be routine surgical examinations outside of working hours and had nothing to do with cosmetic surgery. Thus, the clinic had operated in violation of regulations, exceeded its scope, and advertised exaggeratedly and untruthfully. The clinic did not have a medical examination book... On-site inspection: Although the minor surgery room had some equipment, it was basically substandard; the clinic did not list service prices and did not publicize its working schedule.

Vinh City interdisciplinary inspection team inspected the clinic of doctor Vu The Hung.

Doctor Vu The Hung explained: The clinic is in the process of getting a license. He is currently studying for a master's degree in Hanoi and only comes back once every few weeks. The clinic is rarely open. The current signboard is mainly for the purpose of patients remembering the doctor's name and brand. In case there is a patient, the wife at home will give him an appointment letter, and on the weekend the doctor will come back to perform the consultation and examination. If the patient needs surgery, he will take the patient to the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital for a service surgery. These surgeries are all for children with groin, scrotum, and labia. Some patients have had surgery at the hospital. The hospital will collect the fee and give the doctor a percentage. The clinic has performed some minor surgeries but has not performed cosmetic surgery... And Doctor Hung admitted the clinic's violations.

Although there were many violations, the inspection team "sympathized" with Dr. Hung who was still in school, and ignored some violations (such as not seeing the protocol or anti-anaphylactic shock medication in the clinic) and proceeded to draw up a record of two violations: Incorrect advertising and not posting service prices, not publicly disclosing practice time. (Each of these violations has an administrative fine of 3-8 million VND). The team plans to propose a lightest fine of 3 million VND for each violation, totaling 6 million VND... The team temporarily confiscated all documents, scheduled the facility to go to the City Health Department to receive the decision to pay the fine as well as carry out procedures to reissue the operating license. The team requested the clinic to remove the illegal advertising sign or erase the content on the sign that exceeded the permitted scope.

Obviously, in this inspection, as well as the level of punishment, the interdisciplinary team also "raised the bar high and hit the bar lightly" with the violating facility. I think the incident at Cat Tuong Beauty Salon (Hanoi) is a great lesson for the health sector and those who love beauty. But why do the owners of beauty facilities in Nghe An still openly open and openly operate without a license? Is it because they know that the authorities are subjective, and if they have to fine, they will fine to deal with it, allowing the violating facility to exist (?). These questions will be answered by the health sector and related agencies.

PV Group