Health officials powerless:

Regulations soon to streamline beauty parlours

by Carol Aloysius

The Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Regulatory Authority (CDDRA) will soon implement Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to streamline beauty parlours and introduce regulations that will give them wider powers, Additional Secretary Ministry of Health and Director CDDRA Dr. Amal Harsha De Silva told the Sunday Observer.

The CDDRA has authority over medical institutions. Since beauty parlours were not medical institutions they were outside its purview. “We only have power over their products and we need to ensure that their working conditions are in keeping with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the CDDRA Act of 1985”, he said.

Health officials including those from the CDDRA recently met Finance and Treasury Secretary, Dr. P.B. Jayasundera to expedite streamlining and introducing regulations for beauty parlours, following the recent death of a female doctor caused by administering an antibiotic injection intravenously at a private beauty parlour at Bambalapitiya.

Health officials said that the owner, Dr. Nimal Gamage lacked the requisite qualifications to perform surgery.

”The Private Health Regulatory Council (PHSRC) had registered him as a general practitioner. He was not permitted to do any operations,” health officials said.

Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) spokesman Dr. Suranga Warnakulasuriya said Dr. Gamage only held MBBS qualifications. To perform plastic surgery, he needs to have post graduate qualifications approved by the Health Ministry.”

The Sunday Observer learns that Dr. Gamage’s current registration had been signed by three health officials. Police and health officials found expired products and laptop with details of the deceased doctor at the parlour.