40 NEWS GOLD COAST: 2018 Commonwealth Games Host City Gold Coast Bulletin, 28-4-12

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NIP/TUCKHOT SPOTSThe most popular destinations for cosmetic surgery holidays

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MEDICARE RORTTHE

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Indiana Reed, 22, and Kristal McNamara,23, say the Coast’s acceptance of plasticsurgery made it easier for them to getbreast enlargements.

Plastic surgeons accept some people will choose to venture overseas in search of cheap cosmetic surgery. What concerns them is that taxpayers are increasingly picking up the bill when things go bad. DWAYNE GRANT reports.

Dr Ian McDougall is tired of the publicpaying for overseas surgeons’ mistakes.

WHEN plastic surgeon Paul Belt tells hismates about the cosmetic surgery swindleunfolding within the walls of Medicare, theirreaction doesn’t surprise him.

After all, it’s also how he feels.‘‘Most people get pretty angry,’’ he says.

‘‘When that guy allegedly embezzled $16million (from Queensland Health) everyonewas repulsed because he wasn’t stealing from arich corporation. He was stealing from a healthcare system that’s struggling to provide anadequate level of care for ordinary people.

‘‘Yet here we are talking about a loopholethat is costing us millions of dollars every year– and it’s getting worse.’’

The loophole is this – while medical servicesperformed solely for cosmetic reasons are notcovered by Medicare, hundreds of Australiansare travelling overseas for cut-price cosmeticsurgery and returning with complications thatcan then be claimed on the public purse.

And the worst part? Medicare can’t even sayhow much the loophole is costing becausedoctors aren’t required to declare if a patient’sclaim is related to previous cosmeticprocedures.

‘‘I’ve got no objection with people wanting to

go overseas to have surgery,’’ veteranSouthport plastic surgeon Ian McDougall says.‘‘What I’m objecting to are (cosmetic tourismcompanies) promoting low-cost surgery andwhen people come back with complications,who pays for it? The taxpayer.

‘‘The guy organising the trip should bepaying for any complications. As the promoterhe’s gaining a percentage and he’s got to wearsome of the risk.’’

And there clearly are risks.An Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons

survey recently revealed more than half of itssurgeons who conduct cosmetic tourismrevisions had seen more patients requiringassistance compared to the previous year, withan average rise of 38 per cent.

The most common overseas procedures thatrequired corrective treatment were breastsurgery (68 per cent), facial surgery (15 percent) and abdomen revisions (8 per cent).

Worryingly, more than two-thirds of thesurgeons had cases they were unable tocompletely correct and almost half had seencomplications that would have been life-threatening without corrective treatment.

A rising number of ‘‘dental tourists’’ areexperiencing similar holiday hangovers. Unliketheir cosmetic cousins, they are forced to pickup the tab as Medicare doesn’t cover dentistry.

‘‘We are picking up the bill for people whoare looking to save money,’’ says Dr Belt,ASPS’s Queensland secretary-elect.

‘‘We’re talking about simple operations thatare done badly . . . every week I see someonewho has had surgery performed, particularly inThailand, that is not to the standard we wouldregard acceptable here.

‘‘In the last five weeks I’ve seen or heard ofcases where an implant labelled ‘Sample – Notfor Implantation’ was placed in a patient and a

breast augmentation was closed with a six-inchneedle that went straight into the implant andcut through it.

‘‘Another lady had eyelid surgery andthey’ve taken so much skin she can’t closeher eyes. She now needs to have majorreconstructive surgery . . . if these doctors werepractising in this country I would be dutybound to report them.

‘‘Medicare doesn’t keep numbers on the costbut it’s huge.’’

As is the impact cosmetic tourists caninadvertently have on the health of others.

‘‘Not only are they costing the Governmentmoney but they often take the place ofsomeone who has been on a public hospitalwaiting list for a long time,’’ Dr Belt says.

‘‘If we get an emergency case because of afailed breast implant, we may have tocancel someone’s elective skin canceroperation.’’

The Federal Government clearly hasconcerns about the risks discountmedical practices pose, with current‘‘medical tourism’’ advisory warningsissued against countries includingThailand, Malaysia and India.

Dr McDougall wishes such concernextended to the taxpayer’s hip pocket.

‘‘Medicare should simply be told itcan’t cover these costs,’’ he says. ‘‘Thatwould make people think twice aboutwhether they risk having thesesurgical procedures done overseas.

‘‘Some still will and good luck tothem, but at least they’ll know therecould be another cost at the end.’’

And that’s something Dr Belt’s mateswould like the sound of.

‘‘No Australian can be refusedtreatment in an Australian hospital –that’s the whole ethos of Medicare,’’ hesays. ‘‘We should treat these people andcorrect their life-threatening conditions,but we should also report if it’s acomplication arising from overseas surgery.Then Medicare can hand them the bill.’’