15 Year Old Performs C-section

In hopes of setting the world record for the youngest surgeon, a fifteen year old boy performed a cesarean section on a woman in India according to the Associated Press.

Although the teenage boy does not have a medical degree just yet, both his parents are Doctors and his father has been training him since he was twelve.

The surgery was filmed so that it could be viewed and the boy would have a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest surgeon.

As a result the father of the teen will likely loose his medical license and may also have criminal charges pressed against him since he encouraged and allowed his son to perform the c-section.

Information regarding the surgery came to light last month when the father, Dr. K. Murugesan, showed the video tape of his son Dhileepan Raj to The Indian Medical Association. In the video Murugesan is shown giving the pregnant patient anestesia and the teen performing the cesarean.

After the medical association witnessed the recorded surgery, they informed Murugesan that what he did was ethically and legally wrong. They were shocked that such an act occurred because the family wanted recognition by breaking a world record.

Murugesan claimed to not have any regrets and says his son was well trained by himself. He owns and runs a maternity hospital in India and has said this was not the first surgical procedure his son has performed.

The surgery was reported to the highest medical organization and India's government is investigating the incident. While the surgery was a success and both mother and baby are reportedly doing fine, violations most definitely occurred. Dhileepan Raj is not a certified surgeon by any standards.

There seems to be a fascination with breaking world records among those who live in India. For some reason people tend to forget common sense and physical limitations when they have their eye set on competition and recognition.

Cesarean births are needed when labor and delivery are not occuring in such a way that the baby can be born safely. It is a major surgical procedure though, and the process involves knowing the female body very well so that vital organs are not injured. There is no doubt that the teenager in India was prepared to perform the surgery, but he may have ruined his father's professional career while trying to make a name for himself.

Sources:

AP. "Surgery Performed by Teen Sparks Outrage" newsday.com

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