Cosmetic treatment

In order for the claim to be covered by the scheme there are two conditions that must be met:

• the treatment must be healthcare
• the treatment must be provided by authorised or licensed healthcare personnel

Plastic surgery

Plastic surgery is always performed on the basis of medical assessments by a physician. The treatment can be performed only by a surgeon with the expertise for this type of intervention. This form of treatment is considered as the provision of healthcare and is covered by the scheme.

Cosmetic treatment

With regard to cosmetic treatment other than surgery, we will make an individual assessment as to whether the treatment can be considered healthcare or not. One element will be whether such treatment can be performed only by healthcare personnel. If this is the case, the treatment will be considered healthcare.

If healthcare personnel perform cosmetic treatments that do not require the expertise of healthcare professionals, it will normally not be considered healthcare. An example could be a nurse offering ordinary beauty treatments/skincare.

We will consider the potential for injury and whether the treatment is ordinarily performed by authorised healthcare personnel when determining whether the treatment can be considered healthcare or not.

If the treatment is performed by someone who is not a healthcare professional it will always fall outside of the scope of the scheme. Only healthcare provided by healthcare professionals will be covered by the Patient Injury Act.

Some examples of what is normally considered healthcare:

• plastic surgery
• sclerotherapy
• meso-lipo therapy
• lipolysis
• treatment using botox and fillers
• peeling using chemical substances that work deep in the skin
• laser treatment with a strength of 3b and above

Some examples of what is not normally considered healthcare:

• tattoos
• treatment using Restylane, Juvederm and other fillers
• peeling using relatively mild creams and similar
• ordinary beauty treatment/skincare

Cosmetic treatment facilities are obliged to have an answerable doctor

All cosmetic treatment facilities that are obliged to have a medically answerable doctor present at the clinic, has a duty to register and pay contribution to NPE for said doctor.

It's not necessary for the doctor to see the patient physically. Healthcare also includes advice and guidance.