How to check a practitioner is qualified for the procedure

Before you let anyone put a needle in your arm or a tool near your eye, you need to know they actually know what they're doing. "Qualified" sounds official, but it means different things depending on what procedure you're having. A practitioner could have a degree, a specialisation, years of experience — or claim all three and have none. The stakes are real: a botched minor procedure can leave you with infection, scarring, nerve damage or worse. So how do you actually verify someone is legit?

Check their registration with the right body

South Africa has professional health councils that keep registers of licensed practitioners. Before booking, ask your practitioner which council they're registered with — it should match their profession. Ask for their registration number and verify it yourself on the council's website. Don't just accept their word. Many practitioners have legitimate credentials but haven't renewed their registration, or they're listed but have complaints or restrictions on file. When you search the register, you'll often see their qualifications listed, any conditions on their practice, and sometimes a record of disciplinary action. This takes five minutes and is the single most important check you can do.

Request proof of specific training for the procedure

Being a general practitioner doesn't mean someone can safely do a minor procedure. Ask what specific training they've done for *this* procedure — not their overall medical degree, but the hands-on training for that exact thing. They should be able to tell you where they trained, how many they've done, and ideally provide a certificate or letter from the institution or supervising doctor. For aesthetic or semi-invasive procedures, ask if they've completed a recognised training course and how long they've been doing it. Someone who's been doing a procedure for five years has handled far more edge cases than someone in their first year. Don't feel rude asking. A practitioner confident in their skills will welcome the question and have the documentation ready.

Contact their professional references

Don't rely on testimonials on their website or WhatsApp — those are curated. Instead, ask for the contact details of the clinic where they trained or worked before, or the specialist who supervised their training. Ring them and ask directly: "Does Dr [Name] work there? Did they complete training in [procedure]? Would you trust them with this?" You might not get a detailed answer — liability concerns mean many won't go into specifics — but their willingness to give you the reference, and any hesitation in their voice, tells you something. If they refuse to provide any references, that's a red flag. Also ask your own GP if they know the practitioner or have heard feedback from colleagues.

Ask what happens if something goes wrong

This isn't about credentials exactly, but a qualified practitioner will have thought through complications and be able to explain clearly what they'd do if bleeding didn't stop, infection developed, or the outcome wasn't what you expected. Ask them: "What's your complication rate? What aftercare do you provide? If I have a problem, who do I contact and within what timeframe?" If they get defensive or vague, walk away. Someone truly qualified knows the risks inside-out and has protocols in place. Also confirm they have professional indemnity insurance — it won't guarantee their competence, but it's standard practice and means there's accountability. Ask to see proof.

Once you've verified registration, seen training certificates, checked references and understood their safety protocols, you're in a much stronger position to make a decision. Strove connects you with verified practitioners whose credentials you can review before you even request a quote — it removes a lot of the detective work. But even then, these checks are your responsibility. A few minutes of verification now protects you far better than hoping for the best.