The vice chairpersons of the House Committee on Health have urged persons who have been victims of various medical malpractices committed by fake or real cosmetics surgeons to come out publicly to pursue criminal charges against the doctors, saying this will help forewarn the public.

Reps. Janette Garin and Ferjenel Biron, both of Iloilo, said they believe dozens of cosmetic surgery victims have not yet come out publicly for fear of being humilitated.

Both medical doctors, the two solons said they expect positive response from many patients who have fallen victim to medical malpractices committed by unlicensed cosmetic surgeons.

Earlier, singer Selina Sevilla, whose real name is Sharon Simon, sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in pursuing criminal charges against person who conducted a butt augmentation procedure on her more than a decade ago.

Sevilla filed the complaint at the NBI Special Action Unit against the person, who was known to her only as Dr. R. A. Eugenio.

“That is just one of the cases. How many more hidden cases do we have that did not land in media reports?” Garin asked.

Garin admitted that fear of public ridicule is one of the common reasons why many victims refuse to file complaints against cosmetics clinics, whether these are licensed or not.

She noted that even licensed or popular clinics are capable of committing mistakes in performing medical procedures for various dermatologic or cosmetology jobs.

Last year, Caloocan City Rep. Mitch Cajayon was reported to have nearly suffered a miscarriage when an abdominal procedure was conducted on her by a well-known clinic.

“We are warning patients to check and validate the training credentials of the doctors performing these invasive procedures,” said Biron.