April 26, 2001 --
The death of a Vietnamese woman who was being prepared for breast implant surgery in a cut-rate illegal Toronto clinic is a shocking reminder for women everywhere that when seeking plastic surgery, board certification is a must.
Thi Hanh Lan Tran, a 36-year-old manicurist, was rushed to Toronto Western Hospital last month after suffering a reaction to the anesthetic in preparation for a breast implant surgery. She later died. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Minh Tam Thi Le 36, for criminal negligence causing death. Late Monday, April 23rd, Ms. Lee’s partner Tu Ngoc Nguyen, 39, the clinic's owner, was arrested and charged with the same offence. Police believe Nguyen had no medical experience, saying his last job was at a factory.
Ms. Lee came to Canada on a student visa that claimed she was a hairdresser. She then advertised her services in the Canadian Asian press as a plastic surgeon from Vietnam. At this time, police are still investigating whether Ms. Lee was a doctor at all, or whether the person who prepared Ms. Tran for surgery was an anesthesiologist. Ms. Tran was operated on in a house in the College and Dovercourt area, where the “doctors” claimed to perform operations at 30-50% off the average doctor’s rate.
According to Montreal plastic surgeon Mario F. Bernier, the price issue for consumers should take a distant second place to safety issues:
“The price is not the first thing you look for – you look for board certification and accreditation. When you are seeking cosmetic surgery, you have to make sure that person in front of you is plastic surgeon in good standing with the various societies.”
Under most provinces' health codes, general practitioners are allowed to perform such surgeries as breast augmentation, lip injections and nose jobs without being qualified as plastic surgeons though one of the qualifying boards.
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