What are the Patients Rights in an Aesthetic Surgery?

Doctor's Responsibility in Cosmetic Surgery | What are the Rights of a Patient Who Has Suffered as a Result of Cosmetic Surgery? | Health Law | Health Lawyer

In Turkish law, the doctor's responsibility in the patient-doctor relationship is examined in two ways: legal and criminal. Legal responsibility refers to the doctor's liability for compensation for the material or moral damage suffered by the patient as a result of the intervention. To assess the doctor's legal responsibility, it is first necessary to correctly determine the legal nature of the patient-doctor relationship. Specifically:;

Agency Relationship

Therapeutic interventions performed by a doctor on a patient are, as a rule, an agency relationship and are evaluated within the framework of an agency contract. In an agency relationship, the agent does not guarantee the outcome and therefore is not responsible for it. Therapeutic interventions refer to surgeries that are necessary and mandatory for health reasons, not for aesthetic reasons. Examples include heart surgery, gallbladder surgery, and thyroid surgery.

The relationship between the work and the work

In Turkish law, the relationship between a patient and a doctor is classified as a contract for services when the patient requests an aesthetic procedure without needing any treatment. In a contract for services, the person performing the work is responsible for the promised outcome. Examples include rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, liposuction, and facelift.

So, Eser S.öWhat is an agreement?

Contract for work, Turkish Code of Obligations 470. Ve 486. maddeleri arasında düzenlenip md.470’de,  ”Yüklenicinin bir eser meydana getirmeyi, iş sahibinin de bunun karşılığında bir bedel ödemeyi üstlendiği sözleşme” olarak tanımlanmıştır. Sözleşmenin her iki tarafının da bu borçları üstlenmesi sebebiyle tam iki tarafa borç yükleyen bir sözleşmedir. Sözleşmenin meydana gelmesi için tarafların, yüklenicinin meydana getirmeyi üstlendiği eser ve bunun karşılığında ödenecek bedel hususunda anlaşması gereklidir.  

In light of this information, it can be said that the relationship between patient and doctor in cosmetic surgery is a contract for services.

So, what is the doctor's responsibility in cosmetic surgery? Cosmetic surgeons are subject to a greater duty of care and attention than other surgeons due to the requirements of the profession and legal responsibilities. Consequently, the responsibility of cosmetic surgeons is much broader than that of other physicians and surgeons. The most distinctive feature that distinguishes cosmetic surgery from other surgical operations is that these operations directly cause a change in a person's external appearance. In cosmetic surgery, beauty and aesthetic appearance are of paramount importance, and therefore, the surgeon's duty of care and attention increases. In addition to the responsibility undertaken by other surgeons, it can be said that they create a work of art, in a sense like an artist, by demonstrating their manual dexterity.

Örnek vermek gerekirse; bir hastanın midesindeki bir hastalıktan veya rahatsızlıktan dolayı ameliyat olması durumunda doktor, tıp kurallarına uygun davrandığı sürece hastayı tedavi edememekten ve ameliyatın tam verimli geçmemesinden hukuken sorumlu olmayacaktır. Zira vekalet ilişkisinde doktor sonuç taahhüt etmemektedir. Sadece özen yükümlülüğüne uygun hareket etmek zorundadır.  Başka bir deyişle doktor sadece malpraktis ile sorumlu olacak; özen ve dikkat yükümlülüğüne aykırı hareket etmesi halinde hukuki sorumluluğu doğacaktır.

Öte yandan, doktorun bir rahatsızlığı olmayan bir hastanın vücuduna, yüzüne, dişlerine estetik müdahalede bulunması, saç ektirmesi bir eser ilişkisidir. Bu durumda hastanın sözleşme ilişkisi içerisine girdiği doktor veya hastane, hastaya taahhüt edilen ve gerçekleşmeyen durumdan hukuken tam sorumlu olacaktır. Doktorun hukuki sorumluluğunun derecesi, tıp kurallarının ihlal edilip edilmediğine, doktorun veya hastanenin kusurlu olup olmadığına ve kusurun derecesine göre değişecektir. Dikkat edilmelidir ki  estetik amaçlı yapılan bu müdahalelerde  doktorun buradaki sorumluluğu artık malpraktis sorumluluğu değil, eser sorumluluğudur.

Relevant Case Law Decisions

In the decision of the 15th Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation dated 03.11.1999 (Case No: 1999/4007, Decision No: 1999/3868) contains the following statements regarding this matter: “The work of a dentist making dentures (prosthetics) instead of root canal treatment, and the work of a surgeon performing medical intervention on the human body for cosmetic purposes instead of treatment (as in our case), constitute the subject matter of the contract for work regulated in Articles 355 and subsequent articles of the Turkish Code of Obligations. According to the contract for work, the defendant doctor's performance of a non-treatment-related medical intervention is not sufficient for performance. The work performed must also be flawless, regardless of the method used. The doctor who intervened to remove the tattoo on the plaintiff's arm for aesthetic purposes is also deemed to have undertaken to completely eliminate the scar, given the nature of the contract for work. However, according to the case file and photographs, a new, unhealthy and ugly-looking scar, reminiscent of the previous condition, has appeared on the plaintiff's arm as a result of the surgical intervention. The work performed constitutes a violation of Article 360 of the Turkish Code of Obligations, which compels acceptance.” "It is an unacceptably shameful act."”

Supreme Court 15th Civil Chamber, Case No. 2018/5523, Decision No. 2019/801, February 26, 2019 and Supreme Court 15th Civil Chamber, Case No. 2018/5312, Decision No. 2019/139, January 14, 2019:  Yargıtay bu durumu pek çok kararında “…estetik ameliyat yapılmak suretiyle istenilen ve kararlaştırılan amaca uygun güzel bir görünüm sağlanmasının taraflar arasındaki eser sözleşmesinin konusu olduğu açıktır” şeklinde ifade etmektedir. Ayrıca yine sonuç taahhüdüne ilişkin olarak “hekimin eyleminin tıp kurallarına uygun olduğu yönündeki görüş yeterli olmayıp, ayrıca davacının isteklerinin karşılanıp karşılanmadığı, ayıplı olduğu iddia edilen yüz germe ve karından yağ dokusu alma ile ilgili olarak; hekimin edimini yerine getirip getirmediği ya da komplikasyon olup olmadığı ve komplikasyon konusunda aydınlatma görevinin yerine getirilip getirilmediği ve komplikasyon yönetiminin doğru yapılıp yapılmadığı hususları tartışılıp değerlendirilmek üzere… bozulmasına” şeklinde içtihatta bulunmuştur. Denilmiştir.

Therefore, a patient who does not benefit from an aesthetic procedure, or whose treatment is not as desired or promised, may at least request a refund of the fee paid for the procedure, even if the doctor or hospital is not at fault. If the doctor or hospital is at fault, the compensation the patient can claim may include all treatment costs, restoration costs, medication costs, loss of income during the period of inability to work, loss of earning capacity, moral damages, travel and accommodation expenses for the surgery (if any), and other medication costs. The court will gather evidence from both parties and obtain a report from an expert panel or forensic medicine institution regarding whether the doctor was at fault.

What kinds of lawsuits can a patient file who has suffered harm as a result of cosmetic surgery?

1. Compensation for material and moral damages due to death,
2. Compensation for material and moral damages due to temporary or permanent bodily harm.,
3. Compensation for material and moral damages suffered due to incorrect diagnosis and treatment.,
4. Compensation for unnecessarily prolonged treatment beyond the usual amount.,
5. Compensation for unnecessary surgery and treatment,
6. Compensation for failure to fulfill the obligation to inform and educate the patient, and for initiating treatment and performing surgery without obtaining the consent of the patient and their relatives.,
7. Compensation for breach of confidentiality obligation,
8. In cases requiring emergency medical assistance, a physician's failure to perform their duties, resulting in the patient's death or disability, may lead to compensation for both material and moral damages.,
9. A claim for financial and moral damages against hospital management that turned away a seriously injured or sick patient at the door by failing to provide essential first aid services.,
10. Compensation for unnecessary medical expenses and excessive charges.

Seeking Mediation Before a Cosmetic Procedure Lawsuit

Compensation claims in cosmetic surgery cases are heard in consumer courts. Since cosmetic surgery is considered a consumer transaction by the consumer court... We carry out your legal compliance processes in your company with the services we offer within the scope of the Law on Consumer Protection and our expert lawyer team. The legal proceedings are conducted according to these provisions. Lawsuits can be filed against the physician who performed the operation, the hospital, the beauty center, the clinic, and the insurance company.

The obligation to apply to a mediator before filing compensation claims arising from cosmetic surgeries came into effect on July 28, 2020. If the claimed amount is below the Consumer Arbitration Board limit, there is no obligation to apply to a mediator. In this case, you must apply directly to the Consumer Arbitration Board; for detailed information, please refer to [link to relevant document]. from here ilgili parasal sınırlara ilişkin detayları inceleyebilirsiniz. Bu parasal miktarı  2021 yılı için değeri 7 bin 550 TL altında bulunan uyuşmazlıklarda İlçe Tüketici Hakem Heyetleri, büyükşehir statüsünde olan illerde 7 bin 550 TL ile 11 bin 330 TL’dir. Bu tutarın üstündeki uyuşmazlıklarda ise önce arabulucuya sonra dava yoluna başvurulacaktır.

Estetik müdahale ve estetik ameliyatlardan kaynaklanan, hasta  ve doktor arasındaki uyuşmazlıklarda ve davalarda en önemli hususlardan biri, tayin edilecek bilirkişinin düzenleyeceği rapordur. Estetik müdahaleden kaynaklanan davalarda, hem doktorlar hem de hastalar açısından hak kayıplarının önlenmesi ve mağduriyetlerden kaçınılması için bu davaların alanında tecrübeli avukatlar tarafından takip edilmesi tavsiye edilir.

For questions regarding the nature of aesthetic surgeries as a contract for services and the resulting physician's guarantee of results, and for legal support on this matter, please contact us. Contact You may pass. We wish you good health.

Other works that may be of interest to you;

• Patient Rights & What Are My Rights as a Patient?
• Malpractice within the Scope of Supreme Court Decisions
• What are the Patients Rights in an Aesthetic Surgery?
• Tissue and Organ Transplantation in Health Law
• Malpractice Compensation Lawsuits: Frequently Asked Questions
• What are the rights of healthcare workers?
• What is malpractice?

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