Teenage surgeon triggers outrage in TN
Sam Daniel
Wednesday, June 20, 2007, (Chennai)
The craze to set a new record has touched a new low.
In a shocking incident, 15-year-old Dhileepan, a Class X student, has allegedly performed a Caesarian operation successfully on a 20-year-old woman.
Dhileepan's only qualification is that his parents are doctors who run a hospital at Manaparrai on the outskirts of Trichy.
And the boy was allowed to perform the surgery under their supervision three months ago.
At the weekly meeting of the IMA Trichy Chapter two months ago, the boy's father had reportedly played a video clip of his son's surgical performance, claiming it to be a world record.
The mother and the newborn girl are doing fine. The girl's father says no prior consent was obtained before the surgery.
"The doctor and his son were present in the operation theatre," said the woman's husband.
The medical community is outraged. Doctors say this is illegal, unethical and a breach of trust and could have been risky for both the mother and the child.
"Not all Caesarians are same. In some cases the uterus will have to be removed and there could be profuse bleeding. It's difficult even for qualified doctors. This could put both lives at stake," said Dr Kamala Selvaraj.
Vanishing act
With criticism mounting against this shocking lapse, the incriminating video has disappeared.
With no evidence left, it is difficult to question the doctor couple's claim that heir son was allowed only to watch the surgery, not perform it.
But even then, it is illegal for a 15-year-old to be present inside the operating theatre during the procedure.
"We allowed to watch the surgery only to motivate him to pursue medicine after his school," said Dr Murugesan, Dhileepan's father.
Shocked colleagues of Dr Murugesan who had seen the video had complained to the Chennai chapter of the IMA a month ago.
But the body that is meant to regulate ethical practices of the medical community is yet to react.
While the craze to set records has begun to put innocent lives at stake, the big question is why the Indian Medical Association has not taken any action even after a month after this was brought to its notice.
Despite NDTV's best efforts IMA office bearers remained completely unreachable.