The government will set up a working group to differentiate beauty services and medical procedures in the wake of the recent "medical beauty mishap" which claimed one life and left three in serious condition in hospital, Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man announced on Friday.

After coming up with a definition to distinguish medical procedures from beauty services, the government will list out services that should not be carried out at beauty parlors and work out guidelines for regulation of the private healthcare sector during the transitional period with legislative control over the beauty service sector is the ultimate aim.

Medical constituency lawmaker Leung Ka-lau said it will be a step forward to specify certain highly risky beauty services which should be performed only by registered doctors or recognized professionals.

But he wondered if this could prevent future mishaps as the "medical beauty procedures" in the recent fatal incident were also performed by a doctor. In his view, there should also be a law to govern health management organizations which employ doctors to perform various types of "medical beauty services".

Ko Wing-man chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee on Review of the Regulation of Private Healthcare Facilities on Friday. After the meeting, he said the steering committee has resolved to set up four working groups to study the issue deeply, with a view to enhancing protection of consumers.

In particular, a working group, headed by Director of Health Constance Chan, will be charged with the task of differentiating and providing definitions for beauty services and medical procedures.

Apart from steering committee members, the task force membership comprises representatives from various medical specialties, the beauty service sector and consumer groups.

"The purpose is to differentiate normal beauty services and medical procedures, especially highly risky medical procedures, so as to prevent operators from further carrying out improper medical procedures, under the cover of medical beauty services at beauty parlors," Ko said.

The working group is expected to finish its work and submit its recommendations in the second quarter of 2013. He reckoned it would take more than two years before there could be public consultation on new legislation. In the meantime, the Departments of Health, and Customs & Excise and the Consumer Council will study medical beauty services advertisements very closely. If they have suspicion, they will inspect the beauty service establishments in question.

joseph@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 11/03/2012 page1)