Incomplete records blocked complaints against Plastic Surgery Center

Complaints about Plastic Surgery Center could not be properly investigated because patient records were incomplete, according to documents obtained by STT and reported by Yle. The clinic group has faced problems with its care and record-keeping for years.

Some complainants said procedures were carried out without their consent. STT did not detail those cases to protect the complainants’ privacy.

In one complaint filed in 2023, a patient said a procedure intended to remove fat from the abdomen was instead carried out on the back, with the fat transferred to the sides. The patient said they were awake and could see what was happening until being given another medication, after which they remembered nothing. They also said they received no written documents about the procedure.

The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health, which preceded the current Licensing and Supervisory Agency, said it could not reliably assess whether the care had been appropriate because the patient records were inadequate.

In another case, a patient complained about facial operations performed by a clinic doctor. The Regional State Administrative Agency found that the doctor had not made patient records of the operations and issued a reprimand.

The Licensing and Supervisory Agency suspended operations at Plastic Surgery Center’s Helsinki clinic on Aleksanterinkatu in September, citing risks to patient safety. After an inspection, the agency reported serious shortcomings, including that liposuction equipment had been washed in a dishwasher.

Plastic Surgery Center came under renewed scrutiny after Yle’s investigative programme MOT reported that social media influencer Olivia Oras lost consciousness during anaesthesia before liposuction at the company’s Helsinki clinic. She later died at a HUS hospital. Helsinki police are investigating the death as aggravated negligent homicide and suspect one or more members of the company’s medical staff.

MOT reported on significant problems at the plastic surgery chain in 2023.