THE celebrity plastic surgeon shot dead in his own Marbella clinic had not been licensed to practise medicine in Britain since 2016, the Olive Press can reveal.
Dr Alexander Aslani, 57, had been subject to extensive working restrictions agreed with the General Medical Council (GMC) since 2012 – even though he told a London court that at least 70% of his patients were British.
The 2012 disciplinary action by the UK’s medical watchdog ordered him to tackle ‘deficiencies’ in six areas of his practice. These were record keeping, prescribing, patient assessment, patient consent, ‘working within limits’ and post-operative care.
The UK’s top medical regulator also imposed 14 other restrictions on him and he was not allowed to engage in any medical work in the UK without written permission.
He also agreed to work under an educational supervisor and a GMC-approved workplace reporter, and to be reassessed by a team appointed by the regulator.
He had to hand any prospective employer an assessors’ report on his performance – and tell the GMC if he applied for medical jobs abroad or faced further formal disciplinary proceedings.
He held a licence to practise in the UK from November 2009 until it was severely restricted in March 2012. He eventually relinquished his licence in all capacities in 2016.
From then on he was listed as ‘registered without a licence to practise’ – meaning he could not legally work as a doctor in Britain.
Despite this, The Olive Press has seen evidence that he continued to teach and train UK surgeons, in contravention to these restrictions.
The register does not reveal what sparked the case, whether it involved British or Spanish patients, or why his licence ended in 2016.
Since his death last week, a number of former patients have contacted The Olive Press to reveal they had negative experiences with Dr. Aslani, including one patient who said she was abandoned after a failed surgery, without any accommodation and with a life-threatening infection she was never told about.
Another said that when she went to complain about a botched surgery, Aslani became “really angry” and “shouted at her.” He later offered her further work free of charge.
All mention of Dr Aslani – including his registration details and the undertakings – have now been removed from the GMC website. A search of the online register on Saturday, October 10 returned no record of him in any capacity.
It is not clear when or why the entry was taken down. The GMC has not responded to request for comment.
Between 2008 and 2018, Aslani headed the plastic surgery departments at the Quirón hospitals in Malaga and Marbella. The UK disciplinary action took place while he held that role.
He founded Cirumed Clinic in 2018. According to his own website, he performed more than 14,000 operations and was best known internationally for pioneering a new version of the Brazilian butt lift.
The celebrity doctor was shot dead in his Marbella clinic earlier this week. An 18-year-old Swedish man was arrested in connection with the killing.
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