Expert Witness : Medico Legal

Bo-Tax is fine, argue surgeons, but ‘subjective’ VAT on surgery is an ethical minefield

 Over 90% of procedures deemed ‘cosmetic’ are non-surgical treatments such as injectables and lasers, and the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (www.baaps.org.uk) agrees with the Government’s decision due out this month that in the current climate they should be taxed with VAT. However, they warn that bundling surgery such as breast reductions, tummy tucks and children’s bat-ear ops under this umbrella term will present an ethical minefield. They call for a debate with the relevant bodies and a halt on this initiative which endangers patient confidentiality, leaves the public vulnerable to arbitrary postcode lotteries and will encourage risky ‘surgery holiday deals’ abroad.

HMRC guidance to health professions states that services are only exempt of VAT if the purpose is to ‘protect, maintain or restore the health of the person concerned’. The BAAPS argues this subjective approach places a value judgment on treatment, fails to recognize the extensive scope and purpose of most plastic surgery procedures and does not provide enough clarification in terms of medical, psychological and social welfare of the patient. It will also require general finance/accounting and audit staff – unqualified to determine what could be ‘medical’ need – to have access to patient records in order to validate criteria.

The idea of making brain cancers glow to help surgeons operate is being tested in the UK.

Patients will be given a drug, 5-amino-levulinic acid (5-ALA), which causes a build-up of fluorescent chemicals in the tumour.

The theory is that the pink glow will clearly mark the edges of the tumour, making it easier to ensure all of it is removed.

More than 60 patients with glioblastoma will take part in the trial.

They have cancerous glial cells, which normally hold the brain's nerves cells in place. On average patients survive 15 months after being diagnosed.

Readers of weekly magazine to vote for ‘Who Deserves Cosmetic Surgery The Most’

London – 10 October, 2011 –The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (www.baaps.org.uk) today expressed their alarm over a month-long series of offers for free cosmetic surgery by weekly magazine ‘Love It!’. The publication, aimed at young women, last week offered a ‘free boob job' for a 'lucky reader’ in exchange for being filmed throughout the process. This was followed this week by a tummy tuck and next week by a nose job.

UK vibration firm Reactec has celebrated a new business landmark by ensuring 15,000 workers across the country are covered by its HAVmeter safety devices.

The firm hit the milestone sales figure this month, which means that thousands of workers in the UK construction, manufacturing, grounds maintenance and hire sectors are now using the technology in order to improve safety and monitor their exposure to vibration-related injuries.