NBI nabs Vietnamese woman in beauty clinic for illegal practice of medicine

A Vietnamese woman was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for the alleged illegal practice of medicine at a beauty clinic in Mandaluyong City.

The NBI said that the suspect, identified as Trinh Thi Kieu Nguyen or “Dr. Rosa,” was offering medical procedures such as eyelid surgery, vaginal tightening, botox, and other cosmetic procedures at JK Beauty Clinic for a fee.

Authorities said Nguyen violated Section 10 in relation to Section 28 of Republic Act No. 2382 or the Medical Act of 1959.

The operation conducted last Wednesday, January 8, stemmed from a tip from a confidential informant regarding the supposed illegal practice of medicine being perpetrated by the Vietnamese citizen. Agents from the NBI-Organized and Transnational Crime Division (OTCD) then conducted a surveillance operation and confirmed the veracity of the information.

An informant posing as a customer secured an appointment with the beauty clinic for a botox procedure and nano filler on the chin amounting to P8,000 for each treatment.

On the day of the operation, an undercover agent accompanied the poseur customer to the clinic located at the ground floor of a condominium building in Mandaluyong City. After paying P16,000 before the procedure started, the undercover agent gave the signal to the NBI-OTCD operatives, which led to Nguyen’s arrest.

Seized from her were the marked money and various medical paraphernalia.

The Vietnamese was also presented for inquest proceedings before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Mandaluyong on January 9.

The NBI said that the status of her stay in the Philippines is still being verified with the Bureau of Immigration.
—Giselle Ombay/RF, GMA Integrated News