SYDNEY (AP) — A woman died on Sept. 1 after police say a Chinese tourist with no Australian medical license gave her an anesthetic during a procedure at a Sydney beauty clinic.
Jean Huang had been hospitalized in critical condition since undergoing a breast procedure at Sydney’s Medi Beauty Laser and Contour Clinic on Aug. 30. She died two days later, New South Wales police said in a statement.
Shao Jie, a 33-year-old Chinese woman, was charged before Huang’s death with causing reckless grievous bodily harm and using poison to endanger a person’s life. A prosecutor said that if Huang died, Shao would face more serious charges.
Police said they were considering taking further legal action against Shao. Court documents allege Shao administered “an intoxicating substance,” tramadol and Lidocaine to Huang during the procedure. Lidocaine is a numbing agent, and tramadol is a painkiller.
Shao’s lawyer, Mary Underwood, said that her client was a graduate of a Chinese medical university and had arrived in Australia several days earlier on a tourist visa.
The Health Care Complaints Commission is investigating. ■