No justice for man whose penis got chopped off in botched circumcision

A 22-year-old man had his penis chopped off in a botched circumcision at age 10. He has had a compensation award of £500,000 reduced to just £20,000 after the Malay government appealed against his claim.

The unnamed victim reportedly lost roughly 90 percent of his penis during the operation. It took place at the local hospital in his hometown of Kuala Lipis, Malaysia. The incident occurred on December 13, 2010.

The medics, who reportedly severed his privates, were not qualified in microsurgeries. The decision was made to transfer the boy to Selayang Hospital where better qualified surgeons could rectify the situation.

However, the delay meant he was only operated on 10 hours later. At this point, all hope for reattaching his penis was lost.

Afterwards, he remained hospitalised for over a month amid an agonising and desperate recovery process after which he filed a lawsuit against the government and hospital directors with the help of his mother.

Courts

On April 7, 2022, Justice Datuk Akhtar Tahir ruled in his favour and awarded him MYR 3.1 million (£532,409) in damages.

Judge Akhtar said in June of last year: “The delay in attending to the plaintiff’s injury extinguished hopes of a successful surgery in saving the penis.

“The Selayang Hospital had been informed about the transfer of the plaintiff. Yet the medical personnel did not take steps to prepare for a possible surgery.

“It is clear that no amount of financial award given by the court will compensate the loss suffered by the plaintiff.

“All the shame and humiliation the plaintiff suffers comes as a result of this terrible loss.

“His mother had testified that since the age of 10, the plaintiff has entered into a shell. He finds it hard to interact with others, let alone develop the courage ever to marry.”

The amount sought by the plaintiff was north of £500,000, including a litany of general, special and severe damages collectively owed by all the defendants.

But the payout was greatly reduced after the government filed an appeal that the Putrajaya Court of Appeal accepted.

 DailyMail