It could happen anywhere
Daily Star (Bangladesh) Doctor jailed for 3 years for negligence in duty
District and Sessions Judge Md Abdul Salam Shikdar handed down the punishment in presence of the convict Dr Abu Taher Md Golam Murtaza, 40, at around 1:00pm. The court also fined him Tk 1000 [$US15.85] and acquitted four others, including two nurses of the charges as they were found to be innocent. According to the prosecution, Md Habibur Rahman, 8, son of Jahangir Hossain of Shibpur Bernaiya village in Shahrasti upazila of the district was brought to Grameen Shastha Kalyan Kendra on June 23, 2005 for a circumcision by Dr Golam Murtaza of the health centre. Just after the circumcision, Habib started to bleed profusely and died on his way to a private hospital in Comilla two hours into the operation. When the news of the kid's death spread, angry people brought out a procession accusing the doctor. Being informed, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. A case was filed by police, following which Dr Murtaza and three of his staff were arrested. Another accused staff Sajeda Akhtar surrendered later.
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Only $50,000 for one testicle? How much would an adult ask?
The Chicago Sun Times
Boy's parents sue doctors
A Chicago couple filed suit Tuesday against Northwestern Memorial
Hospital and five doctors involved in their son's birth, saying
negligence cost the boy a testicle. The couple said the doctors failed to
perform "an appropriate physical examination" before circumcising the boy.
Their failure to properly diagnose a series of conditions -- including
testicular torsion and having a buried penis -- was coupled by the
doctors' "failure to disclose the risks and benefits of circumcision"
before it was done. The boy, now 2, had his right testicle destroyed
during the procedure and it's now removed, according to the suit.
CBS Doctors, Hospital Sued Over Botched Circumcision
CHICAGO In a lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court Tuesday,
the parents of a 2-year-old boy say the circumcision performed on him when
he was born was not only unwanted and unnecessary, but resulted in the
loss of one of the boy's testicles because of the surgical team's
negligence.
The boy, [name], was born to [name] and [name] on Aug. 15,
2004, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the suit said. The couple never
asked doctors to perform a circumcision on [him].
....
The suit seeks damages in excess of $50,000.
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After the hysterical claims, common sense emerges
Doctor's Guide Male Circumcision May Not Protect Against HIV Infection: Presented at AIDS 2006
By Danny Kucharsky |
Today, Finland...
Helsingin Sanomat Court rules circumcision of four-year-old boy illegal
Finland’s first court ruling on male child circumcision was handed down by
a Finnish court on Friday. A Muslim mother faced charges of assault in
Tampere District Court for having her four-year-old son circumcised.
The mother said that the procedure is part of the family’s religion and
cultural heritage. The court found that interfering with personal
inviolability could be allowed only in cases specifically permitted by
law.
A working group of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health proposed a
few years ago that circumcisions performed under medical supervision in
hospitals should be allowed.
Legislation is somewhat vague on the matter, and practice varies in
Finland. For instance, a report drafted by the Ministry of Social Affairs
and Health in 2004 notes that male circumcision is permitted in all
countries.
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Now for Big Brother
Association for Genital Integrity
Canadian Government ends circumcision funding
Canada has phased out the final remnants
of government funding for routine infant circumcision.
The Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP), a supplemental health
insurance plan sponsored by the Canadian government for the benefit of
federal public sector employees, stopped reimbursing routine circumcision
of newborns effective September, 2005.
PSHCP management said they ended payments for infant circumcision because
"no provincial /territorial health insurance plan covers the procedure."
With over half a million members, the PSHCP is the largest
employment-based health insurance plan in Canada.
Manitoba, the last province to fund routine circumcision of infant boys,
has ceased coverage for the procedure unless medically required.
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May common sense prevail
Perinatal HIV Research Unit Doubts raised over circumcision-HIV utility
A colloquium on circumcision held in South Africa has raised doubts about the usefulness of the operation in preventing the spread of HIV.
In a paper called "Reality Check" Dr Warren Parker of the Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation, points out that most men in the Eastern Cape are circumcised, being of the Xhosa people, yet the Eastern Cape does not stand out in its HIV prevalence.
Speaking at the colloquium organised by the Perinatal HIV Research Unit in conjunction with the Department of Surgery at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, he said that while the Orange Farm study found fewer circumcised men contracted HIV in the time-span of the study, the epidemiological impacts of ‘lifetime risk’ - whether circumcised or not - are unclear.
And he warned that
widespread promotion of circumcision as a core prevention method may overwhelm the promotion of primary and urgent interventions - reduction in the number of partners and the consistent and correct use of condoms.
"The situation is delicate, risks are high, proceed cautiously," he concluded.
Prof. Haroon Saloojee of the Division of Community Paediatrics presented a cost-benefit analysis of circumcision that concluded, "The perpetuation of neonatal circumcision cannot be justified financially or medically; therefore, any justification for the practice must be based on religion, culture, or aesthetics. A cost utility of circumcision for males living in Africa would require a different set of assumptions but should be undertaken before implementation of any circumcision policy."
The Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), established in 1996, is one of the largest AIDS research centres in Africa. PHRU is a research unit of the University of the Witwatersrand, based in Soweto at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
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And it's growing fast.
Press Release New weblog to collect Forced Genital Cutting Stories
A new weblog has been created for people to tell their own stories of having been genitally mutilated.
Project: OUCH! is a collection of first hand accounts told by victims, survivors,
and participants of forced genital cuttings including stories of male
infant circumcisions, female genital mutilations, and gender-norming
surgeries.
The purpose of Project: OUCH! is to acknowledge victims' suffering of
having had their genitals forcibly cut, altered, or mutilated. The weblog is called blOUCH! It is a place
where victims and survivors can tell how they have been physically,
spiritually, or emotionally harmed from forced genital cutting.
blOUCH! is the reverse of how most blogs are organized. Typically, one
person posts their opinion and the public is invited to comment on it.
Here, the public posts their stories, and no one may add a comment.
Anyone who has been negatively affected by forced genital cutting, whether
their own or someone else's, is encouraged to contribute their story.
blOUCH! is for the benefit of a:
The weblog is at www.genitalintegrity.net/blouch
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What comes of assuming circumcision is automatic...
The College of Physicians & Surgeons of Manitoba
Doctor censured for circumcising wrong baby
On June 7,
2006, the [College's] Investigation
Committee censured Dr. Matthew Howard Lazar:
On November 8, 2005, Dr. Lazar asked for one baby to
be brought to the procedure room [of St Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg] for circumcision, but a different
patient ("Baby X")
was brought. Dr. Lazar - or rather, a trainee with him - proceeded with
the circumcision of Baby X without checking the patient
identification.
Later that morning, when Dr. Lazar learned of the error, he told Baby X’s parents that he needed to talk to them about
circumcision. He says they indicated that they wished to proceed with
circumcision, but they deny this
occurred. They say Baby X’s mother
was undecided, and was particularly concerned about whether her son
would experience pain. All agree that he did not immediately
inform them of the error, but instead, discussed
the pros and cons of circumcision, provided statistics
as to the rate of circumcision, and provided information to them in answer to their questions. They say that it was only after this
discussion that they decided to proceed with circumcision.
Dr. Lazar obtained a consent form for the circumcision and
presented it to Baby X’s parents to sign.
He then circumcised another baby and carried Baby X to Baby
X’s parents, telling them that it was a perfect
circumcision and their baby was fine.
Other hospital staff completed a critical clinical occurrence
form and notified hospital administration. As a result of discussions between Baby X’s parents
and another physician who was aware of the error, it became
apparent to that physician that Dr. Lazar had not provided full and
candid disclosure to Baby X’s parents. This
was reported to hospital administration.
At a meeting on November 8, 2005, Dr Lazar apologised to the parents for the deception, but did not mention the trainee.
In an interview with the Investigation Chair Dr. Lazar said he was upset and flustered when he went to see Baby
X’s parents, and he was relieved when Baby X’s parents said
they wanted the circumcision done. He very much regretted the errors he made and he offered his
apology to Baby X’s parents.
The Investigtion Committee has "recorded its disapproval" of Dr Lazar's conduct:
In addition to
appearing before the Investigation Chair, Dr. Lazar paid the costs
of the investigation, $4,676.30. As a result of this incident, the hospital has stopped performing routine circumcisions.
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Now lower than Australia
press release Circumcision rate plummets in Canada
The rate of infant circumcision in Candian hospitals has halved in the last ten years.
Statistics from the Canadian Institute for Health Information show a total of 15,977 infants (9.2% of male births) were
circumcised in hospital settings in fiscal 2005 (the latest year for which
data are available), down from 38,062 (20%) in 1996.
The data include circumcision procedures performed in acute-care hospitals
on boys up to one year of age, either as part of the birth admission or on
a subsequent visit.
Circumcisions performed outside hospitals are not tabulated by any central
authority and are not included in the data. In some communities, the
number of circumcisions done in doctors' offices and private clinics may
be significant.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information is an independent,
not-for-profit organization funded primarily by the federal, provincial
and territorial governments. |
Justice, of a kind
National Review of Medicine BC man's foreskin op a success
By Jennifer Laliberté
In late April Paul Tinari became the first man in Canadian history
to have the government pay for surgery to reverse a botched
circumcision.
Armed with letters from a urologist and psychiatrist, the Vancouver
engineer - who says he's been in pain for years - convinced the BC
government to pick up 90% of the $12,000 tab. The final piece fell
into place when he located Toronto plastic surgeon Dr Robert H
Stubbs, the only doctor in Canada who'd ever performed a foreskin
restoration.
"This is not something I went into lightly," says 48-year-old Dr
Tinari of the complex, multistage procedure he began at the end of
April. "I assessed the risks [of the surgery] and was willing to
take them. But I certainly wasn't willing to pay for it."
The BC Ministry of Health says requests for funding for unlisted
medical procedures are approved only if the care isn't available in
the province and if a medical professional has confirmed there's a
serious medical or mental health issue. There were no existing rules
to deal with Dr Tinari's unusual case. "Obviously, something like
that would be granted coverage only in rare or extenuating
circumstances," says ministry spokesperson Sarah Plank. "We
certainly don't have a billing code for it."
"He got a big chunk because no one in BC does this and he had his
urologist and psychiatrist on his side," observes Dr Stubbs, who
specializes in genital cosmetic surgery. "Some provinces are willing
to do things like that for their citizens."
RESTORATION 101
First, the skin is cut along the circumcision scar line and
stretched open to create a graft site. Then, two parallel incisions
are made on the scrotum - the donor site - leaving a sort of bridge
with the two ends attached on either side. "The penis is popped
through the hole, with the skin bridge covering the defect you
created," Dr Stubbs explains. "Then we let that heal for at least
three weeks." In stage two, the two ends of the bridge are cut,
separating the penis and scrotum. "You tuck those two pieces that
are still dangling to the underside and keep your fingers crossed
that enough blood vessels have grown in to ensure survival of the
graft." Finally, when the swelling has subsided, the new skin is
stretched over the penis with tape and traction weights to form a
foreskin.
[A scrotal graft like this is likely to be hairy, and to wrinkle in a way unlike a natural foreskin. No mention of the thousands of men worldwide who are restoring or have restored their foreskins non-surgically.]
PERSONAL CRUSADE
Nowadays, Dr Tinari, who has a PhD in engineering, is the director
of an environmental engineering company based in Coquitlam, BC. But
he spends a lot of his time campaigning against circumcision and for
wider access to foreskin restoration. "People thought that I would
go away after the surgery, but that was just the first step," he
says. "I did this to restore my own bodily integrity, but also to
set a legal precedent."
Given the complexity of the procedure, Dr Stubbs doesn't expect to
see a dramatic increase in patients. He's staying out of Dr Tinari's
legal pursuits. "I don't ask women why they come in for a breast
implant, and I didn't ask him if he had an ulterior motive," says
the surgeon. "He may have an agenda that I don't know about, but
this isn't something where the success or failure of his surgical
procedure should make men consider this an option or not."
Meanwhile, Dr Tinari is still recovering; it's nearly two months
since the surgery and his doctor is pleased with the outcome. "We
seem to have about an 80-90% graft survival," says Dr Stubbs. "I
transferred a strip about 7cm wide, so he should have plenty for an
adequate foreskin." The patient is also very pleased. "I've been
working towards this for thirty years," says Dr Tinari. "I'm feeling
better every day."
[It seems that the hurdles to funding are higher for this than other, comparable operations: the only truly unusual features of this are the small number of men who follow through on their demands for funding of the repair of their botched circumcisions, and the long time-lag between the operation and its repair.]
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