A Terengganu Sessions Court awarded RM359,122.90 (around S$112,000) to a 10-year-old boy who suffered permanent scarring and extensive skin loss after a botched circumcision procedure in 2023.
Judge Wan Nor Aklima Wan Salleh found Klinik Perubatan Hijraa medically negligent.
She then ordered the clinic to pay RM300,000 (around S$94,000) in general damages and RM59,122.90 (around S$18,000) in special and future damages.
The boy underwent circumcision at the private clinic in March 2023, Malay Mail reported.
His mother had initially requested a laser circumcision. However, the attending doctor recommended the clamp method instead, citing concerns that the boy could develop keloid scars.
Source: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA from Pexels via Canva, for illustration purposes only.
After the procedure, the boy developed swelling and bleeding, leading to his admission to Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital.
He later required prolonged treatment and further surgery, including a full-thickness skin graft to repair the damaged area.
During the hearing, three medical specialists testified that the boy’s injuries were not normal complications expected from a properly performed circumcision.
Expert evidence also showed that concerns over keloids were unrelated to whether the laser circumcision method could be performed.
Source: Google Maps
Meanwhile, the court said the clinic did not provide expert evidence to support its claim that the boy’s condition was an acceptable medical complication.
Additionally, it failed to provide a reasonable technical explanation for the boy’s circumferential skin loss.
Although the surgery was considered successful and the boy has since resumed normal activities, the court said he would carry the graft scar into adulthood.
In addition, the long-term impact of the botched circumcision procedure beyond the cosmetic appearance could not yet be determined.
“Living with long-term uncertainty about his future sexual function will place some emotional and psychological burden on him and the family,” the judge added, according to Free Malaysia Today.
The negligence claim was filed as a counterclaim after the clinic’s operator, Hijraa Healthcare Sdn Bhd, sued the boy’s mother and another woman over criticism posted on Facebook.
The court dismissed the defamation lawsuit, finding no malice in the women’s actions.
However, the company has since appealed the ruling.
Also read: Man’s penis shrinks after undergoing surgery in Spain, he receives S$30K compensation 15 years later
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA from Pexels via Canva, for illustration purposes only.