PMDC bars general practitioners from conducting cosmetic procedures

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has barred healthcare professionals with ‘simple MBBS or BDS degrees’ from practicing aesthetic medicine, saying only healthcare professionals having ‘relevant degrees or diplomas’ are allowed to practice the branch of modern medicine.

Aesthetic medicine is a field of medicine that focuses on improving a person’s appearance through non-surgical and minimally-invasive procedures through various techniques, including Fillers, Botox, and other substances injected to address wrinkles, lines and volume loss as well as laser treatments, chemical peels, light therapy and body contouring. Referring to a PMDC notification, an official of the PMDC said healthcare professionals having simple MBBS, BDS degrees as well as nurses and technicians are practicing aesthetic medicine throughout the country without having any specialized degree or diploma in the relevant field.

“Many people are even performing aesthetic procedures, including Liposuction for removal of excess fat deposits from specific areas of the body, Rhinoplasty for reshaping nose, Blepharoplasty for improving the appearance of the eyelids and Abdominoplasty for tightening and reshaping the abdominal wall without having specialization in these fields,” he claimed. Quoting PMDC Council’s decisions, the official said the PMDC council has decided that only the practitioners holding diploma / degree in the relevant field are allowed to practice aesthetic medicine and the healthcare commissions of all provinces have been directed to inspect all such hospitals and clinics.

“Furthermore, it has been decided that all aesthetic courses and workshop will be conducted by PMDC registered faculty. No diploma will be conducted until it is recognized by the PMDC. Invasive procedures shall be carried out by the specialists recognized by PMDC,” the official said.