Kuwait: More Than 30 Plastic Surgery Clinics Shut Down Over Ad Breach

33 private plastic surgery clinics in Kuwait were temporarily shut down by the Ministry of Health due to social media advertising laws violations.

The clinics disregarded both ministerial directives, particularly decree 87/2023, which addresses public morals, a code of ethics, and patient privacy, as well as law 70/2020 governing the practice of plastic surgery.

The ministry further stated that it had already taken legal action against the clinics by reporting the illegally practicing doctors to the appropriate authorities and temporarily closing the centers until the investigations were complete.

The decree's 27 specific key points cover a number of important topics, including restricting recording patients without written consent and limiting the advertising of health services fees. Exaggerated superlatives and inaccurate or misleading medical information are strictly forbidden in advertisements. Due to limitations on advertising, several plastic surgery clinics have also stopped posting their prices on social media.

“Technicians working as cosmetic surgeons, (unqualified foreign workers) becoming dermatology technicians. (Cosmetic surgery clinics) are brimming with problems. The Ministry of Health needs to take a close look and bust those working illegally,” said Zaina Al-Ras on Twitter.