The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued guidelines on aesthetic procedures and warned that watching videos on YouTube or other platforms is not adequate for training to perform aesthetic procedures like hair transplants.

"It may be noted that watching in workshops or on YouTube or similar platforms is not adequate training to start aesthetic surgery or including hair transplant," said the Member, Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB), NMC.

"Surgical assistant/technicians should perform tasks only under the supervision of an RMP," said the NMC official.

NMC has also mentioned that aesthetic procedures, including hair transplants, are not emergency surgery hence there is no case of allowing any untrained person to do it.

"Aesthetic procedures including hair transplants are not an emergency surgery and hence there is no case for allowing any untrained person to do it under the pretext of, "exceptional circumstances," said the Commission.

The Commission said hair transplantation being an aesthetic surgery needs to be performed by RMPs like qualified dermatologists or trained surgeons. Assistants or OT technicians should be from a medical background such as nurses, lab technicians and pharmacists.

However, they need to be provided structured systematic and proper training (responsibility will lie with the RMP) in all aspects of both aesthetic surgery and disinfection sterilisation patient communication etc, the Commission said.

The minimum requirements in a hospital/clinic performing hair transplant surgery include the daycare theatre which should be equipped with facilities for monitoring and handling emergencies including stocking of emergency drugs, Boyles machine, intubation sets and Ambu bag.

"A plan for handling emergencies should be in place and all nursing staff should be familiar with the emergency plan. It is ideal to have a standby anaesthetist," NMC said.