A plan hatched by federal and state health ministers to allow doctors to use patient testimonials in their advertising is being abandoned in the wake of the cosmetic surgery review.

The review warned patients were being “bombarded” with cosmetic surgery ads on social media sites like Facebook or TikTok, especially high-income women in their 30s or 40s being offered “mummy makeovers”, as well as younger women.

The Medical Board of Australia responded by saying cosmetic surgeons would be excluded from a plan to let doctors use patient reviews to spruik their services, which was scheduled for debate in Queensland Parliament next week, when it would have potentially been passed into law.

But the ban will now remain in place for all doctors after state, territory and federal health ministers agreed last Friday to rework the proposed legislation.