Costa Rica Healthcare – The College of Doctors is taking measures to prevent further cases of cosmetic surgeries being done without the appropriate training and licenses. The Medical Association is looking into complaints such as a tattoo artist who operated on ears and performed plastic surgery and a beautician who rebuilt vaginas.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office is coming together with the College to start a joint work to prevent the increase of these types of practices and to criminally punish them. The College held a forum with over 60 prosecutors to train officials in aspects of legal practice of medicine and malpractice and how research is done internally of the collegial body of doctors.
Additionally, the complaint process has been streamlined and is giving much more importance to these issues. The body is defining the conceptual framework of who can do what in the process.
Many cases are being investigated and the Ministry of Health is involved to create an organic framework to limit this type of situation. In one aesthetic clinic, there are around 16 complaints of irregular interventions. This case is serious because the clinic repeatedly reconciled informally to avoid trial. The victims are emotionally vulnerable and accept the payout even though it allows the same to keep happening to others. If it went to trial it could be demonstrated that there is criminal reiteration and preventive detention could be requested.
