Only specialist surgeons will be able to call themselves ‘surgeon’ under new legislation to restrict the use of the title by registered medical practitioners.
The change means that a medical practitioner will only be able to use the title ‘surgeon’ if they are registered in one of the recognised specialties of surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology or ophthalmology.
The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Surgeons) Amendment Bill, just passed in the Queensland Parliament, legally protects the title ‘surgeon’ from being used by any doctor without the necessary qualifications and training.
Before this, any registered medical practitioner could call themselves a ‘surgeon,’ even if they were not registered in a surgical speciality or had not completed specialist training in surgery.
It’s a move welcomed by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), as this key reform supports the regulator’s suite of changes to clean up the cosmetic surgery industry in Australia and better protects patients considering cosmetic surgery.
‘This is good for patient safety and what patients asked for. It will make sure that when a medical practitioner uses the word surgeon, it means something very specific about their skills and qualifications,’ Dr Anne Tonkin AO, Chair of the Medical Board of Australia, said.
Along with an endorsement for cosmetic surgery, it will:
- enable patients to make informed choices
- make it clear on the public register if a doctor has met high standards – either as a surgeon with specialist registration, through an endorsement for cosmetic surgery, or both.
‘This is a win for the public and will remove a lot of confusion when patients are making choices about cosmetic surgery,’ Ahpra’s CEO, Martin Fletcher, said.
“Doctors who can no longer use the protected title must stop, and this includes on all advertising and in referring to themselves generally.”
Doctors who fail to stop using the newly protected title ‘surgeon’ after they have been warned not to, could face criminal prosecution by Ahpra, with misuse of the newly protected title a criminal offence punishable by a maximum fine of $60,000- or three-years’ imprisonment, or both.
The Board may also take disciplinary action, which could be in addition to, or instead of prosecution.
The new ruling follows several years of reports of patients being harmed by underqualified practitioners conducting surgical procedures, forcing the Health Ministers of Australia to work collaboratively on how to best protect the public.
Dr Nicola Dean, the President of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), said that the society was “100 per cent supportive of the new measure.”
“To be able to call yourself a ‘surgeon’ is to hold a position of privilege and trust. In the past, there have been too many practitioners in the cosmetic surgery space who have abused that trust and compromised patient safety with appalling consequences,” she said.
“This new ruling will go a long way to help the public understand who is safe to perform surgery.”
In Australia, the only AMC-accredited training for cosmetic surgery is conducted under the umbrella of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) and is one of the components of the Plastic and Reconstructive Training SET (Surgical and Education Training) program delivered by the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons.
“Specialist Plastic Surgeons have 12 years of training and specific training in cosmetic surgery, but all those doctors who have a FRACS after their names are trained to high standards through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons,” Dr Dean said.
“Recently we have been asking patients to “Look for the FRACS title” but now, thanks to this amendment passing, it will be even easier for the public to know who is safe.
Ahpra has also moved to introduce stronger laws around advertising and the use of online influencers and brand ambassadors to promote cosmetic procedures.
Other measures being taken to better regulate the cosmetic surgery industry include new licensing standards for private facilities and establishing a credentialing system to endorse qualified providers.
Australians who are considering cosmetic surgery can check a practitioners’ qualifications via the AHPRA or ASPS websites to make the most informed choice possible.