The College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. is urging people who may have received services at an illegal cosmetic surgery clinic in North Delta to undergo testing after a raid revealed a potential public health risk.
On Dec. 20, the CPSBC, assisted by Delta Police, seized items Zhuo (Sabrina) Li allegedly used to provide cosmetic medical services it says she is not qualified or legally authorized to perform. Investigators raided the home at 10519 Modesto Drive after receiving an emailed tip from a concerned neighbour.
The seized include several boxes and vials of botox injections, local anesthetics, medical supplies like syringes and and surgical scissors, as well as various receipts for financial transactions ranging from $300 to $5000. Li was allegedly running the business under the name “Sabrina Permanent Make-Up Studio Inc.”
Dr. Heidi Oetter, CEO of the CPSBC, said in a release that the college “believes it is highly probable that Ms. Li was performing cosmetic surgery such as facial injections, eyelid lifts and facial implants.”
Investigators were not able to locate any evidence to suggest that the surgical instruments being used by Li were being properly sterilized by an autoclave (a high-pressure steam chamber used in hospitals and medical clinics to sterilize surgical equipment and instruments).
The college has jurisdiction over the illegal practice of medicine and have recently cracked down on illegal clinics offering services only licensed physicians can perform.
There were at least three complaints against Li by the time the college raided her North Delta home. A 23-year-old woman had a persistent infection in her nose following an implant surgery, while two other people had complications resulting from a blepharoplasty (eyelid lift) surgery they received at the home.
The CPSBC sent the seized evidence to Fraser Health, where a public risk assessment was conducted. Based on its review, the authority is urging people who may have gone to the clinic to undergo testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
“The college takes action against those who put the public at risk by practising medicine unlawfully. This is a very serious matter,” Oetter said.
While the court file is sealed at this time, the CPSBC will be requesting that the sealing order be lifted at its next appearance before the B.C. Supreme Court.
