- A board certified plastic surgeon requires at least 13 years of training from the start of the degree until the completion of the subspecialty.
- For every certified plastic surgery specialist, there are between 20 and 25 people who perform procedures of questionable quality without being trained and in unhealthy places.
- From February to date, Cofepris suspended 70 establishments and closed 18.
The lack of medical specialists is a problem that federal authorities have denounced in recent months. Although according to the head of the General Directorate of Quality and Education in Health (DGCES) of the Ministry of Health, José Luis García Ceja, the most serious case occurs when analyzing the panorama of certified plastic surgeon. He denounced that it has been one of the reasons that has caused the proliferation of clandestine clinics that put people’s health and even life at risk.
During the Forum “The current state of cosmetic surgery in Mexico”organized by the Health Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, highlighted that in 2021 the National College of Certification in Medicine (Conacem) registered 1,988 certified plastic surgery specialists throughout the country, “it is a minuscule figure compared to the number of surgeries that are required, and that does not include reconstructive ones, only aesthetic ones,” he specified.
The official announced that the gap between the demand for services and the number of specialists has increased in the last 20 years. This has caused bad practices that result in disability, mobility damage and even death. All this as a result of Interventions carried out by doctors who lacked the necessary skills and in places that do not meet the minimum conditions, and less so to attend to an emergency.
He warned that the risk increases when untrained people supply substances such as biopolymers that have long-term health consequences.
He explained that starting in the 1980s, the need for services to make changes to improve body image began to increase due to the influence of social networks and public profiles. In Latin America, Mexico ranks third in this practice, mainly due to bichectomy, liposuction, breast augmentation, among other.
The training that a certified plastic surgeon must have
García Ceja explained that for every certified plastic surgeon there are between 20 and 25 people who perform alleged cosmetic surgeries without being trained and in unhealthy places that put health and life at risk.
The Specialists in cosmetic surgery require at least 13 years of training from the time they start their degree until they finish the subspecialty in plastic surgery.
The general director of Quality and Education in Health stated that this issue is of great importance and is on the country’s public health agenda. The practice of aesthetic surgeries must guarantee safety and quality to the patient, with trained specialistsin safe, healthy establishments that have valid permits issued by the corresponding authorities.
In this regard, the Sanitary Operation Commissioner of the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris), Bertha Alcalde Luján, reported that from February to date this regulatory body has 175 health surveillance operations, suspended 70 establishments and closed another 18. It also removed 769 posts on social media like Facebook and TikTok about surgical offers.
A “black list” of irregular sites will be published soon so that people know about them and avoid going.
Main irregularities of clandestine clinics
He stressed that the identification and suspension of clandestine clinics is the priority in the area of verification of services. Therefore, during this administration, Cofepris personnel, with the accompaniment of public security instances, strengthen visits to establishments that offer cosmetic surgeries.
The public servant of Cofepris explained that in previous administrations it was necessary to give timely follow-up to priority cases, and practically no definitive closures were carried out.
He pointed out that the problem they face with the clandestine clinics is closing at one address and opening at another. This complicates the tracking of verification visits. Likewise, they have detected an increase in the number of clinics throughout the country and in the offer of aesthetic procedures.
The main deficiencies detected during the verification visits are the lack of a health license, inadequate infrastructure, absence of academic accreditation by the personnel who work in those places, and lack of supplies or expired expiration date, which poses serious risks to people. served.
Bertha Mayor pointed out that Cofepris carries out a monitoring program that includes weekly meetings to review each case, coordination with state prosecutors and joint work with public security institutions for verification visits, because some establishments are linked to crime. organized and other illicit conduct.
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