Bengaluru, 22 Nov 

The Health and Family Welfare Department brought spas, salons and cosmetic centres offering clinical-grade procedures under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Act, 2007 to regulate and monitor their practices.

Sharing the government notification on X on Saturday, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “All medical spas that provide cosmetic treatments and related services have now been officially declared “medical establishments” and brought under the direct regulatory control of the Health and Family Welfare Department.” 

He asserted that the decision was to monitor and regulate the quality of cosmetic procedures such as botox, laser treatments, liposuction, hair transplantation, IV hydration therapy, and all other body-related aesthetic (cosmetic) treatments.

“Media reports had highlighted unauthorised medical spas were mushrooming across the State purely with a commercial motive, completely disregarding public health,” he said. He said the move would help regulate unauthorised cosmetic skin clinics, Korean skin care centres, massage centres, and spas that are currently practising medicine illegally or are being run by unqualified persons under. 

“These centres were using chemicals to perform cosmetic treatments despite lacking qualified expertise, and were exploiting elderly people’s bone and joint problems by falsely promising permanent cures through radiation therapy,” Gundu Rao said.

“This order will put a strong check on medical quackery in the State,” he added.

Notably, even doctors possessing medical degrees in Allopathy, Ayurveda, or other systems who were illegally running cosmetic clinics outside their area of qualification will now be strictly regulated. 

In addition, the following allied health professions were included: audiology, speech therapy, dieticians/nutritionists, clinical psychology / physical psychology, osteopathy, podiatry, radiation therapy or X-ray radiography  and medical imaging, respiratory therapy, sonography dental, and occupational therapy other allied health systems (eg, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, etc.)