ABC Reports Patient Lives at Risk

ABC News has published findings from a leaked report showing that a cosmetic surgery clinic in the Eastern States had placed patients’ health and safety at risk. The damning report reveals women undertaking breast implant surgery at The Cosmetic Institute (TCI) were given dangerously high doses of drugs that can cause cardiac arrests.

Professor Hugh Bartholomeusz from the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons said he was “very concerned” by the report and has met with health department representatives from all states and territories to discuss the issue.

“We need urgent national legislation where patients’ lives are at risk,” he said.

Assure Cosmetic Centre supports the push for legislation and urges anyone considering breast surgery (or any form of cosmetic surgery) to carefully research the type of doctor they are choosing for their procedure. These links below provide helpful guides to assist:

Choice Report – 13 things you need to know about breast implants
ABC Triple J – What you need to know about breast implants

Choosing the Right Doctor

The ABC’s latest report highlights the dangers of choosing cheap ‘cosmetic surgeons’ over ‘specialist plastic surgeons’. Under current legislation, practitioners do not need to be a fully-qualified plastic surgeon to perform cosmetic surgery. This means that even a GP or an unaccredited medical practitioner can legally perform cosmetic surgery in Australia.

The key difference at Assure Cosmetic Centre is that our surgeons are fully qualified and accredited specialist ‘plastic surgeons’ – not GPs calling themselves ‘cosmetic surgeons’ purely because the government hasn’t yet regulated the term.

At Assure, our surgeons are members of the RACS (Royal Australasian College of Surgeons) and the ASPS (Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons) – recognised as the only legitimate professional body representing the field of cosmetic surgery in Australia. Importantly, your surgery with us takes place in a fully-accredited, premium hospital under general anaesthetic, administered by a fully-qualified anaesthetist accredited with ANZCA (the Australian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists).

If you are contemplating breast surgery, the most important decision you will make is your choice of surgeon. Read our blog post about what to look for when choosing a surgeon here.

View the latest news reports on this topic here:

ABC News (19/4/16) – Patients knocked out without consent
ABC News (20/4/16) – Calls for national cosmetic surgery laws
Sydney Morning Herald (19/4/16) – Patients given dangerous doses of sedatives


At Assure, we offer a special package for breast augmentation patients, for one all-inclusive price of $12,990 – covering surgery performed safely in a premium, fully-accredited hospital in Perth. You can read more about our All-Inclusive Breast Augmentation package here.

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