KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has urged the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) to act against bogus doctors who perform illegal gold threading surgery.

Highlighting the case of a man who recently claimed to have surgically treated 4,000 patients, MMA president Datuk Dr N K S Tharmaseelan said it was surprising that someone with no qualification was allowed to practise ‘surgery’ for years without being prosecuted.

“Gold Threading is not accepted as standard medical practice. This person appears to be openly challenging the authority of the MMC.

“His claim of performing surgeries since 2006, without problems, and claiming it to be safe, is a form of self-advertisement which is also against the Medical Act,” he said in a statement, here yesterday.

Gold threading is a form of surgery designed to firm up sagging skin in the cheek and jaw line.

Dr Tharmaseelan deemed such leniency as bias for the qualified doctors who were subjected to disciplinary action by the MMC for any misdemeanour in medical practice.

“MMA is dismayed and perplexed that whilst doctors have been disciplined for minor infringements and struck off the medical register if the offence is serious, others are allowed to practise ‘medicine’ and even perform ‘surgery’.

Thus, he said, the association hoped the MMC would show that it could act against bogus doctors who ‘invade’ the medical world or else the industry might have self licensed personnel running clinics.

“MMC and the MOH must act now, to maintain the sanctity of medical practice or else it will become a farce,” he said.

Source:Bernama