Cosmetic Surgery Clinics Require Less Permits than Garages

Bart and Thijs Malenstein of the Bergman Clinics – a chain of cosmetic surgery clinics – say that it is absurd that, in the Netherlands, one can operate such a clinic without any permit. They add: “One needs permits even to open a car garage. But, to put people under anesthesia and cut into them, you just have to open the place – with no license.” This has led to many abuses such as operating rooms which are not sterile, a gynecologist who does breast enlargement with no training in the field, a plastic surgeon who goes on a ski holiday after a major operation, leaving his patient with no medical help. The directors of the Bergman Clinic say that such clinics should require the same licensing as hospitals.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/zorg/article2834099.ece/_Verplicht_vergunning_voor_priveklinieken_rsquo__.html