Beauty centre in Mong Kok slammed for illegal medical practice

Unregistered pharmaceutical products also found.

A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) said yesterday (November 6) that a joint operation with the Police was mounted last night against a beauty centre in Mong Kok where two persons suspected of illegal possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products were arrested and one of them was also suspected of illegal medical practice.

Acting on a public complaint, the enforcement team found that during the operation, a 58-year-old man, who was not a registered medical practitioner, presented himself as a doctor to his client in the beauty centre. Investigations also found that the man offered botulinum toxin injection to a client at the centre. The product was suspected to be unregistered. He was arrested for suspected illegal practice of medicine.

 A subsequent search of the premises also revealed the illegal possession of Part I poisons and antibiotics. The man and a 54-year-old woman were arrested for illegal possession of Part I poisons and antibiotics as well as unregistered pharmaceutical products.

The joint investigation into the case is ongoing. The duo are on police bail pending further enquiries.

"Botulinum toxin for injection is a prescription medicine mainly indicated for the treatment of facial spasms. Since the botulinum toxin injection found in the beauty centre has not been assessed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, the statutory authority for drug registration in Hong Kong, its safety, efficacy and quality is uncertain," the spokesman explained.

Illegal possession of a Part I poison and possession of an unregistered pharmaceutical product for the purpose of sale are offences under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap 138). The maximum penalty for each offence is a fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment. According to the Antibiotics Ordinance (Cap 137), illegal possession of antibiotics is an offence which is punishable with a fine of $30,000 and 12 months' imprisonment. Furthermore, illegal practice of medicine is an offence under the Medical Registration Ordinance (Cap 161). The maximum penalty is a fine of $100,000 and three years' imprisonment.

The spokesman reminded members of the public that invasive beauty procedures such as injections of chemical substances or pharmaceutical products may carry risks such as bleeding, infection, scarring and nerve injury.

 "These procedures require a client's informed choice and potential users are advised to discuss with their doctors about the benefits and risks of such procedures and the full details of the procedure before making a decision," he remarked.