Every guide to cosmetic surgery abroad tells you to "verify your surgeon." Few explain how, in practical terms, for a specific country. Colombia is one of the destinations where an ordinary member of the public can do a meaningful first check online, because the government maintains a national register of health professionals called ReTHUS. This article walks through what the register is, how to prepare for a search, what the result does and does not tell you, and how it fits into a broader verification routine.
What ReTHUS Is
ReTHUS stands for Registro Único Nacional del Talento Humano en Salud, the single national register of health personnel. According to the Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection, it is the register in the ministry's information system where health workers are recorded once they have met the legal requirements to practise their profession or occupation. The ministry cites Ley 1164 de 2007 as the source of those requirements.
The register is not only a list of names. The ministry says it also records sanctions reported by ethical-disciplinary tribunals and other competent authorities, and that for medicine, dentistry and nursing the public view shows professionals who have been sanctioned by those tribunals. Registrations and updates are handled through professional associations with delegated public functions, through the Bogotá district health secretariat and the departmental health secretariats, and through the ministry's own system.
Before You Search: Get the Right Details
The ministry describes the public lookup as a query by identification, reached through a "Consulta al ciudadano" link. In practice, that means you will get the cleanest result if you know the surgeon's identification document type and number, not just a name. Colombian names often include two surnames, and a common name can return several people.
Ask the clinic, in writing, for:
- The operating surgeon's full legal name, including both surnames
- Their identification document type and number for registry verification
- Their stated medical specialty and where they trained
- The name of the anesthesiologist who will be responsible for your anesthesia
A reputable clinic should not find this request unusual. If a coordinator refuses to give the operating surgeon's name, or tells you it will be "one of our team" decided on the day, that is a significant warning sign in itself. You cannot verify a person you have not been told about.
Running the Lookup
The public lookup is available through the ReTHUS consultation portal (rethus.sispro.gov.co). The ministry's page does not set out every on-screen step, and portals change, so expect to follow the prompts. The general shape is:
- Open the citizen consultation option.
- Select the identification document type.
- Enter the document number exactly as provided.
- Complete any verification step the portal requires.
- Review the returned record, and take a dated screenshot for your files.
The interface is in Spanish. Your browser's translation tool is usually enough to follow it. If you have any doubt about what you are seeing, the ministry lists a support email (soportepisis@minsalud.gov.co) and a help desk for questions.
Reading the Result
A ReTHUS record tells you whether the person has met the requirements to practise. When you look at it, check that:
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The name matches the surgeon you were told about | Confirms you are looking at the right person |
| The profession is listed as medicine | Some aesthetic services are offered by other professions |
| Any postgraduate or specialty information is consistent with plastic surgery | A general physician and a plastic surgeon are not interchangeable for major surgery |
| Whether any sanctions appear | The ministry says sanctions from ethics tribunals are shown for medicine |
If the information shown does not match what the clinic told you, ask the clinic to explain before going any further. Sometimes there is a simple reason, such as a registration still being updated. Sometimes there is not.
A "doctor" is not automatically a plastic surgeon
Finding someone on ReTHUS confirms they are a registered health professional. It does not, by itself, confirm they are a specialist plastic surgeon. Pay close attention to the specialty information, and ask the surgeon directly about their specialist training in plastic surgery.
Check the Anesthesiologist Too
Patients tend to focus all their checking on the surgeon, but the person managing your anesthesia carries a large share of the safety of the day. Ask the clinic for the anesthesiologist's name and identification details in the same message where you ask about the surgeon, and run the same ReTHUS lookup. Confirm that the record shows a medical professional with anesthesia training, and ask the clinic whether that person will be present for the whole operation and for the immediate recovery period.
If the clinic says the anesthesiologist is "assigned on the day," ask how they are selected and whether you can be told the name before surgery. A clinic that works with a regular anesthesia team should be able to answer quickly.
When the Record and the Story Do Not Match
Mismatches are not always fraud, but each one deserves a clear explanation before you continue. Common situations include:
- No record found. Double-check the document type and number. If there is still nothing, ask the clinic for an explanation in writing and do not pay until it is resolved.
- A record exists, but the specialty is different. A registered general physician offering major body surgery is a different proposition from a specialist plastic surgeon. Ask directly what specialist training they hold.
- The name differs slightly. Check whether the clinic dropped a second surname or used a nickname. Confirm the identification number matches.
- The surgeon named in marketing is not the one who will operate. Some clinics advertise a well-known name but assign patients to colleagues. Ask who will actually perform your operation and verify that person.
Keep the clinic's replies. If its explanation changes over time, that pattern is informative too.
What ReTHUS Cannot Tell You
A clean registry entry is a necessary first step, not a verdict on quality. It does not tell you:
- How many times the surgeon has performed your specific procedure
- Whether the facility where you will be operated on is properly licensed for that surgery
- Who the anesthesiologist is and whether they will be present throughout
- What the clinic's plan is if you have a complication
- Whether the results you see online are the surgeon's own work
The CDC Yellow Book (2026) makes a related point about verification in general: local standards vary, marketing websites may not fully disclose credentials, and even accreditation does not guarantee a good outcome. Use ReTHUS to rule people out, then keep checking.
The Rest of the Verification Routine
The facility
Ask for the full name and address of the clinic or hospital where the operation will take place, not only the name of the coordinating company. Colombian law has also pushed toward public lists of authorized providers for some aesthetic services. Ley 2316 de 2023, a law focused on banned injectable fillers, directs the Ministry of Health to publish a free online list of institutions and professionals authorized for aesthetic procedures. Ask the clinic whether it appears on that list and where.
Professional memberships
The CDC lists the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery among the physician societies relevant to surgeons abroad. Membership in a national or international plastic surgery society is another data point. Check claimed memberships on the society's own website rather than relying on a logo on the clinic's page.
The conversation itself
Ask the surgeon directly how often they perform your procedure, what complications they see most and how they handle them, and what follow-up looks like after you go home. Their willingness to answer in detail tells you as much as any database.
A Note on Age Rules
If you are researching on behalf of a family member, be aware that Colombia restricts cosmetic procedures for minors. Ley 1799 de 2016 prohibits cosmetic medical and surgical procedures for people under 18, states that parental consent is not a valid exception, and lists limited exemptions such as nose and ear surgery and reconstructive surgery. A clinic willing to ignore this rule is a clinic to avoid for anyone, at any age.
Keep a Verification File
Save everything in one place: the clinic's written answers, your dated ReTHUS screenshot, the facility details, membership confirmations and your consultation notes. If you compare two or three clinics, this file makes the comparison concrete, and if anything goes wrong later, it shows exactly who you were told would treat you.
| Item | Done? |
|---|---|
| Surgeon's full name and ID number in writing | ☐ |
| ReTHUS lookup completed and screenshot saved | ☐ |
| Specialty consistent with plastic surgery | ☐ |
| Facility name and address confirmed | ☐ |
| Anesthesiologist named | ☐ |
| Society memberships checked on society websites | ☐ |
| Complication and follow-up plan in writing | ☐ |
Ten minutes on a government registry will not choose your surgeon for you. It will, however, filter out a category of risk that no amount of glossy marketing can hide, and it gives you a firm footing for every question that follows.