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Pina Vitale waited 15 years to get a tummy tuck — a surgical procedure to tighten up her stomach. She had been desirous to get the process after the start of her little one and spent the previous couple of years making ready for it: getting wholesome, quitting smoking and losing a few pounds.
After Vitale spent two months researching plastic surgeons, she settled in July on Dr. Mahmood Kara, who additionally goes by Mahmud Kara of Dr. Kara Plastic Surgical procedure. His web site says he has greater than 27 years of expertise doing beauty surgical procedure, the opinions have been constructive and his workers made her really feel comfy over the cellphone.
“It was set and I used to be very excited,” she mentioned. “It is not for everyone else on this planet, it is for me. It was to make me really feel higher.”
Vitale paid a 50 per cent deposit of $6,500. Within the weeks main as much as her Oct. 4 appointment to satisfy Kara at his location within the Scarborough Centenary Hospital, nevertheless, she could not attain anybody on the clinic. Neither may CBC Information.
Vitale is certainly one of a dozen sufferers CBC Information has spoken with who say Kara has taken 1000’s of {dollars} of their cash and disappeared. Many different sufferers have commented on his firm’s social media pages with comparable tales. A number of say they filed complaints with York Regional Police and the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.
“Nobody’s answering my calls. My emails are being despatched again … telephones have been disconnected. So I am like, ‘What is going on on?'” she previous CBC Information throughout an interview at her residence in Nobleton, Ont. “It is so disappointing …. [I worked] so arduous to get right here.”
Kara operates 4 non-public clinics throughout Ontario in Toronto, Scarborough, Vaughan and Whitby and has two satellite tv for pc places in Guelph and Burlington, in accordance with his firm’s web site.
CBC Information has reached out to Kara a number of occasions by means of attorneys, over electronic mail, cellphone, social media and in individual. He has not responded to any of our questions or requests for remark.
Affected person who took out mortgage for $16,500 ‘utterly devastated’
Heather Hill borrowed $16,500 from a mortgage firm that paid Kara immediately, and in full, for breast augmentation surgical procedure.
“I am utterly devastated and I am careworn to the max,” she mentioned in an interview in Brantford, Ont., close to her residence on the Six Nations of the Grand River.
She selected Kara after studying constructive opinions and talking with a buddy who had a very good expertise. She met Kara for her session in July and described him as quiet.
![](https://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/359/199/IMG-6412.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&downsize=510px:* 510w")
Heather Hill took out a mortgage and paid in full for her breast augmentation and elevate surgical procedure with Dr. Mahmood Kara. 0:49
“There have been no warning indicators in any respect,” she mentioned.
“I used to be actually trying ahead to [the surgery]. I assumed that it will be life altering for me and my self-confidence.”
The non-profit Breast Implant Security Alliance (BISA), which advocates for individuals who’ve had detrimental outcomes with breast implants and promotes accountability and affected person security, says it’s normal in North America for sufferers to pay a deposit for his or her process then to pay in full weeks earlier than the surgical procedure date.
Some sufferers initially informed Kara on private go away
Hill says her surgical procedure was initially booked for Aug. 25, however was rescheduled for the next month as a result of the clinic mentioned the anesthesiologist wasn’t obtainable. Every week earlier than the brand new date, she acquired an electronic mail from the clinic saying her surgical procedure was cancelled and could be rescheduled once more.
“Dr. Kara will likely be away on a private go away and scheduled to be again on the thirtieth of September when we can reschedule sufferers,” the e-mail learn.
Hill felt one thing was unsuitable. She tried contacting the clinic to cancel her surgical procedure and get a refund. She says she known as the clinic greater than 50 occasions and despatched a number of emails, however nobody has known as her again.
She says she will’t afford to get the surgical procedure performed by one other physician except she will get her a refund.
“I am actually offended and I really feel helpless,” she mentioned.
CBC Information went to Kara’s clinic in Vaughan and located it cleared out. Throughout a current go to to his Toronto location, workers at a well being clinic the place Kara rents area mentioned in the future he and his workers stopped displaying up. CBC Information additionally tried to contact him in individual at his residence in Vaughan, however nobody answered the door.
Makes an attempt to contact 4 of his workers members by means of electronic mail, cellphone and social media have been additionally unsuccessful. Employees cellphone numbers supplied to sufferers and the clinic’s most important quantity have been disconnected.
Lawsuit claims lease cheques bounced
After Vitale could not attain Kara or his workers forward of her Oct. 4 appointment, she drove to the clinic in Vaughan that day. As an alternative of getting solutions, each models the clinic beforehand occupied have been empty and a authorized letter was taped to the doorways stating the lease was terminated and the locks modified.
Kleinburg Village Centre Inc. filed a civil lawsuit towards Kara and the Dr. Kara Medication Skilled Company on Sept. 23 for $664,608, alleging he and his firm breached two industrial leases. Based on the assertion of declare, Kara signed a lease to lease two models within the constructing in August, however in September each lease cheques bounced because of inadequate funds.
Every week later, Kara’s workplace supervisor knowledgeable the owner Dr. Kara Medication Skilled Company “was bancrupt and that the enterprise was not doing effectively,” the declare states.
An announcement of defence has not but been filed and the declare has not but been examined in court docket.
There are additionally liens towards two autos and laser tools within the identify of Dr. Kara Medical Skilled Company.
Whereas a number of ladies informed CBC Information they’ve filed studies with York Regional Police, the drive refused to verify whether or not it is investigating Kara. However a spokesperson mentioned if somebody recordsdata a report, it will likely be investigated totally.
Earlier lawsuits and complaints
The Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons says it is lately acquired a handful of complaints about Kara. The chief director says the physician hasn’t been a member of the society since 2018. These reaching out with complaints have been referred to the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).
CPSO, which investigates and disciplines its members, says it is prohibited from disclosing whether or not it is presently investigating the surgeon, however did say Kara has beforehand been investigated and was formally cautioned.
In 2017, he was cautioned by CPSO’s complaints and studies committee for violating promoting guidelines by utilizing before-and-after images in {a magazine} advert.
“Given his repeated breaches of promoting coverage and regulation, the committee was not happy that he would change his behaviour with out additional steering,” a abstract of the grievance and determination reads.
Kara’s web site presently options greater than 200 before-and-after images, which have been additionally seen in 2018 when CBC Marketplace did an investigation into how breast implants have been being marketed by Toronto surgeons.
The CPSO additionally cautioned Kara about knowledgeable consent and documentation in February of 2020 after a affected person complained she acquired bigger breast implants than she initially agreed to when Kara was eradicating her present ones because of ache and changing them with new ones.
The affected person and her husband filed a civil lawsuit towards Kara in April, his firm and an worker for greater than $250,000 alleging bodily and emotional ache for the bigger implants. The declare states it brought on her to go from a “C” bra cup measurement to a “DDD” on the age of 72.
In his assertion of defence, Kara mentioned the affected person consented to the bigger measurement verbally and in writing previous to the surgical procedure. He denies any negligence or breach of obligation of care.
The declare has not but been examined in court docket.
Security group says Kara’s actions add to current lack of belief
The Breast Implant Security Alliance’s (BISA) Canadian consultant Julie Elliott says the alliance is not related to Kara, however she’s had ladies attain out asking concerning the scenario.
“I feel that is actually unhappy as a result of he’s nonetheless a physician, and he took an oath of doing no hurt and sadly, he did not stay as much as that,” she mentioned.
Elliott says the scenario is contributing to an already current distrust between some sufferers and plastic surgeons.
Vitale says she’s given up on getting a tummy tuck for now as a result of she’s misplaced religion within the occupation. If she does search for another person, she’s hoping to get a suggestion from her physician.
“That was what I used to be in search of, is that change and for him to assist me [feel comfortable]. And sadly, he could not,” she mentioned. “I do not assume he needed to assist anyone. He left.”
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