People have used social media testimonials to build entire surgery practices without any medical qualifications, a Queensland inquiry has heard.
Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons president Daniel Kennedy told a parliamentary inquiry into proposed health practitioner laws that a ban on testimonials should not be lifted as part of the changes.
He says there have been many cases where unqualified individuals have been caught using social media testimonials to promote themselves as health practitioners.
"Absolutely, there are very many examples of this, people who've built whole practices without qualifications, using social media using testimonials," Dr Kennedy told the hearing on Wednesday.
"And there were some improvements in the situation, I think was 2015 when these regulations came in, but nonetheless, it has gone on on those platforms that are more difficult to track and to watch like Snapchat and private chats, and several things that disappear or behind passworded, closed doors."
The ASPS president said lifting a national testimonials would be risky for patients and hard for authorities to regulate.
"I understand that this may come in, I think if it does, we just need to be cautious about how the enforcement goes on," Dr Kennedy said.
"I do understand that there is a public appetite for it, but I would say you know, you can't choose your doctor on Yelp because it's just not the same as as buying a radio.
"It's a very different set of parameters that you're assessing."
The proposed laws would apply to professionals registered under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.
Authorities would be able to issue community warnings when a doctor is under investigation, facing disciplinary proceedings or poses a risk to public health.
The public would also be warned of potential risks about practitioners are found to routinely fail to uphold sterilisation procedures, potentially exposing patients to infections.
Unqualified practitioners would also be banned from providing health services or using a specific title while under investigation.
Regulators could strip a practitioner's registration if it was found to be improperly obtained using false or misleading information.
Suspended practitioners will also have to apply to renew their registration under the proposed changes.
