HCM CITY — The Department of Health in HCM City has recently issued 16 compulsory standards of operation for plastic surgery clinics in the city.

The standards were based on the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment and other related decrees and circulars, said Nguyễn Thị Thoa, deputy head of the department’s Expertise Division.

It is expected that they will help plastic surgery clinics review and improve their operation in order to minimise the risks of fatal medical complications, she added.

“The department will establish criteria for quality assessment for these salons and conduct an evaluation within this year. The results will be public for citizens,” she said.

The new standards stated that plastic surgery clinics can only start operation after they have been evaluated and licensed by the Ministry of Health.

All medical staff working at these clinics are required to have proper certificates of medical examination and treatment, and are registered medical practitioners.

Doctors at these clinics are required to either have obtained certificates of proficiency in foreign languages, or are assisted by qualified interpreters, if they are to provide treatment for foreign clients.

Foreign doctors working at these clinics are required to have work permits and medical practice certificates issue by the Ministry of Health, and either have certificates of proficiency in Vietnamese or are assisted by qualified interpreters.

All diagnostic and treatment techniques at these clinics must be evaluated and approved by the city’s health department before implementation.

Doctors at these clinics are required to provide thorough counseling for clients, establish outpatient medical records for every client, take detailed procedure notes, and abide by the regulations on prescribing addictive and psychotropic medications. — VNS