Gangnam plastic surgery clinics poorly equipped

By Jung Min-ho

Many plastic surgery clinics in Gangnam have insanitary conditions and are poorly equipped to handle medical emergencies, a regional health center said Sunday.

According to an inspection on 120 clinics by the Health Center of Gangnam District in southern Seoul, only three clinics out of 120 used ultraviolet disinfection to keep their medical devices clean, while just two had an air shower system.

The inspection came after a recent series of incidents at plastic surgeries.

It also showed that 43.3 percent of them had at least one automated external defibrillator, which is used to restore a normal heart rhythm, while 50 percent and 74.1 percent were equipped with first aid kits and an artificial respiration system, respectively, the health center said.

“The results are concerning because insanitary medical devices could cause infections to patients and doctors might not be able to treat them in time without the necessary equipment on hand,” an official from the health center said.

Some clinics kept their medical devices in operation rooms because they did not have any preparation rooms, while others had medical waste near patients, the health center noted.

The center also pointed out that medical staffers were poorly trained about infection, and the proper temperature ― 18 to 24 degrees Celsius ― and humidity level ― 30 to 60 percent ― were not maintained in most operating rooms.

To tackle the problems, the health center recently held a seminar about medical ethics and law with 300 plastic surgeons in Gangnam, which is often dubbed as the capital of plastic surgery in Asia.

Some clinics have been under fire for accidents, including a Chinese woman who was declared brain dead after undergoing surgery on Jan. 27.

“To prevent incidents during operations, we should have specific laws to regulate the standards of possible infection in plastic surgery clinics,” Seo Myoung-oak, director of the health center, said. “We will continue to inspect the quality of the clinics in the region so that Gangnam could grow as a true hub of medical tourism.”

The number of medical tourists soared from 122,297 in 2011 to 211,218 last year. Revenues jumped from 54.7 billion won in 2009 to 393.4 billion won in 2013.

Among them, cosmetic surgery is the second most popular field, accounting for 8.6 percent or 24,075 out of a total of 211,218 medical tourists.