Dr Jason Debono, President, together with general secretary Dr Joanna Delia, treasurer Dr Charlene Scicluna, and founding members Dr David Grech, Dr Tyron Pillow, and Dr Anna Maria Fenech Magrin, are proud to announce the official launch of the Aesthetic Physician Association of Malta (APAM).
Membership of the association is open to medical doctors who are licensed in Malta and practice aesthetic medicine full-time. Associate membership is also available for licensed medical doctors who practice aesthetic medicine part-time. APAM has been set up to promote and advance the effective, safe, and ethical practice of Aesthetic Medicine for the benefit of medical practitioners and members of the public.
“The Board will do so through leadership, information, education, support, professional development and maintenance of the highest professional standards among its members and within aesthetic medicine circles,” says Dr Debono.
The association was born as a response to the increasing interest in, and the fast development of, the aesthetic medical world, and the need for up-to-date information and education about treatments required for the public to make the right choices. Aesthetic medical treatments are the realm of Medical Doctors and should be carried out by the appropriate licensed professionals and are regulated by the Malta Medical Council by laws and the Health Standards Authority and other Ministry of Health bodies.
By virtue of standards UNE – EN 168844:2018+A1, the EU regulates this field and the members of this Association take these standards very seriously and expect the Maltese Authorities to do the same. The Association will therefore maintain the highest professional standards in practice of aesthetic medicine in relation to clinical practice and patient care. The Association will promote the health of the general public by setting, upholding, enforcing standards which are inspired on international practice, in compliance with Applicable Law and which create a standard which has legal value.
The European Standard UNE – EN 168844:2018+A1 states that with regards to Aesthetic Medical Treatments:
3.1.5 – The practitioner shall be a medical doctor authorized by national competent authority to practice medicine autonomously. Medical doctors authorized by the national competent authority are entitled to perform aesthetic medical treatments provided they are trained to these treatments. Assistants shall be medical doctors, who are in a recognized post-graduate training scheme, or authorized healthcare professionals who shall be working under the practitioner’s direct supervision (direct supervision means to be physically present in the facility and able to respond and act according to the level of risk of the procedure)
3.1.7 – Treatments with the use of lasers (class 2 and higher), light – (IPL, and LED) and other energy based devices shall only be applied by qualified medical practitioners or by professionals under a practitioner’s direct supervision.
“The values of the Association are those embraced by the modern medical profession and which are professed in the Applicable Law,” says Dr Delia. “The Association shall promote public safety by supporting public authorities, in particular health authorities, in the dissemination of information and making standards available to everyone in the industry, collaborating with authorities who conduct check and audits and report hazardous operations to the relevant authorities.”
Below photo:Front row: Dr David Grech, Dr Anna Maria Fenech Magrin, Dr Joanna Delia, Dr Charlene Scicluna
Back row: Dr Tyron Pillow, Dr Jason Debono
