Florida Board Revokes Butt-Raise Physician’s License, Three Years After Affected person Died

Florida’s Board of Medication has revoked the medical license of a physician who carried out Brazilian butt-lift surgical procedure, three years after his license was restricted after a botched surgical procedure killed a affected person.

Dr. Christopher Walker, who had operated at a spa in Orlando, punctured a number of organs and blood vessels, inflicting the 38-year-old affected person to bleed to loss of life, in line with the Division of Well being’s 2021 emergency license action.

At a board listening to Dec. 5, Walker pleaded with the board to cease in need of totally revoking his license, in line with the Orlando Sentinel and different Florida information reports. A Florida administrative legislation choose in June had really useful revocation. The Board of Medication declined to go simple and took motion this week.

Walker ought to have been barred from practising the fat-transfer procedures in Florida early on, due to felony prices he confronted in New York involving pelvic mesh claims, the chief counsel for the Florida Division of Well being stated. The physician was in the end sentenced to 2 months in jail and a nice of $800,000 after he pleaded responsible to utilizing kickbacks and engaging ladies to have the mesh eliminated, then submitting swimsuit in opposition to the mesh producers in an effort to set off bigger settlements, the Sentinel and Division of Well being reported.

Walker did not disclose the responsible plea on his Florida license renewal software, the well being division lawyer stated.

The 2021 loss of life of Walker’s affected person was considered one of a number of accidents and deaths of butt-lift sufferers in Florida, which led state lawmakers to approve House Bill 1561 early this year. The invoice, now legislation, requires most butt-lifting clinics to acquire legal responsibility insurance coverage protection of not less than $250,000 per declare and an annual combination of not less than $750,000.

Doctor workplaces should additionally register with the state Division of Well being, no matter whether or not the liposuction process was thought-about non permanent or everlasting switch of fats. Till this 12 months, some clinics have been in a position to keep away from registering and keep away from legal responsibility protection as a result of wording of the earlier Florida statute.

The brand new legislation additionally raises penalties for these that don’t register, permitting the Division of Well being to nice medical doctors for a number of offenses in the identical day, in line with a legislative evaluation of the invoice. It additionally requires extra inspections and adherence to security procedures at clinics.

Related: Another Butt-Lift Doctor Banned from Surgery After Second Patient Dies at Clinic

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