PHC to regulate hair transplant services

LAHORE: The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) initiated the process for preparing a draft of the Minimum Service Delivery Standards of hair transplant procedures and held a consultative meeting with a core group of healthcare professionals providing hair transplant services here on Monday.

According to a press release issued here, the meeting chaired by Chief Operating Officer PHC Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan apprised the participants about the legal regulatory framework being enforced by the PHC and highlighted the need for regulating this area as well. He clarified that despite the fact that such services were being provided by a very small number of experts, consultations to regulate the quality of services being delivered were very important. He opined that the biggest challenge was to keep the standards uniformly implementable and applicable. “We are not coercers, but facilitators, and this area will be regulated as well by adopting an all-inclusive process,” he said, while adding that the PHC would bring all types and categories of healthcare establishments under the ambit of law.

The meeting was apprised of the currently reported developments, techniques, and challenges in the field of hair transplant. The participants shared the evolution of this specialty in Pakistan, UK and USA as well as the issues and problems being faced by them.

After detailed deliberations, it was agreed that the experts would forward evidence-based consensus recommendations in terms of qualifications, certification, training and required experience for the hair transplant experts and technical staff after consulting with their professional colleagues and members of the Hair Restoration Society of Pakistan.