Taipei: Five Airlee aesthetic clinics in Taipei and New Taipei, along with two Saint Eir clinics and one Dr. Shine clinic in Taichung, have been ordered to suspend services for six months over alleged hidden-camera offenses, local officials said Friday. New Taipei's Department of Health confirmed with prosecutors that three branches of Airlee aesthetic clinics in Xinzhuang, Linkou, and Yonghe districts had concealed surveillance equipment in treatment and operating rooms where patients were secretly filmed.
According to Focus Taiwan, the conduct was deemed a serious breach of Article 108 of the Medical Care Act, which bans improper practices that are obscene or endanger human health. The department cited a decision made at a consultative meeting on Wednesday, stating that the clinics deliberately engaged in grave offenses. They were ordered to pay a NT$500,000 fine each, with their operations suspended until Nov. 14. Airlee Group Co., Ltd. Chairman Chang Ju-shan was questioned by prosecutors on May 6 and then held incommunicado.
The investigation into the chain, which operates 18 outlets nationwide, followed a May 2 Threads post in which a customer noticed a ceiling device resembling a smoke detector while changing in a treatment room at Airlee's Banqiao branch. The Banqiao branch's surveillance footage has been deleted and is currently being recovered by prosecutors. Once full evidence is obtained, the branch will also be fined NT$500,000 and ordered to suspend operations for six months.
The Taipei City Government has also ordered two Airlee branches in Da'an and Zhongshan districts to suspend operations for six months over the same offenses and fined each NT$500,000. Additionally, the Da'an branch was fined NT$250,000 for violating official fee regulations by setting unauthorized charges. Reports on Airlee's Banqiao branch triggered investigations that have since spread to other clinics and branches nationwide.
On Thursday, two branches of the Airlee aesthetic clinic chain in Kaohsiung were ordered to suspend medical services for six months over multiple violations, including the alleged unauthorized filming of patients. In Taichung, the health department found that two Saint Eir clinic branches had installed cameras, including pinhole devices, in treatment areas in violation of regulations, according to Director of the city's Health Bureau Tseng Tzu-chan.
One Dr. Shine clinic was found to have secretly recorded patients' medical images without consent, with 23 video clips discovered in treatment and laser rooms. The three clinics in Taichung were each fined NT$500,000 and ordered to suspend operations for six months, Tseng stated.