THE Philippine Society of General Surgeons (PSGS) urged parents to have their children circumcised only by licensed physicians to prevent any untoward incident, particularly serious complications that may lead to death.
“Sa doktor po kayo dapat magpapatuli. In fact, ang mga doktor po na lisensyado, kahit na po hindi siruhano (surgeon), ay may kaalaman at may kapasidad kung nag-training po sila na magtuli… This is a practice of medicine, so dapat po 'yung mga doktor lang na merong kaalaman (ang gagawa),” PSGS vice president Doctor Alfred Lasala II said in a radio interview.
(You should go to a doctor for circumcision. In fact, licensed doctors, even if they are not surgeons, have the knowledge and capacity to perform circumcision if they have undergone training… This is a practice of medicine, so only doctors with knowledge should do it.)
Lasala stated that circumcision procedures can occur in ambulatory or multi-specialty clinics accredited by the Department of Health (DOH) as long as a doctor would perform the surgery, and necessary equipment, such as a first aid kit, must be readily available.
He also warned against the risks of the traditional "pukpok" method.
“Ang pinaka-problema nito, of course there's pain dahil hindi sila nag-a-anesthesia. Number two, dahil hindi nagde-disinfect, puwedeng magkaroon po ng impeksyon afterwards. Number three, hindi ho tinatahi ito, so meron pong mga pagkakataon na dire-diretso ang pagdudugo,” said Lasala.
(The biggest problems with this are, of course, pain because anesthesia is not used. Second, because they don't disinfect, infection can occur afterward. Third, it's not stitched, so there are instances of continuous bleeding.)
On Saturday, May 17, a 10-year-old boy died after a circumcision performed by someone who claimed to be a doctor in a lying-in clinic in Tondo, Manila.
The boy's mother said anesthesia was administered before the procedure. The victim later experienced convulsion prompting his parents to rush him to the hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
In 2023, the same suspect who performed the fatal procedure was arrested by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for posing as a legitimate doctor, using the name and license number of a real doctor she had worked with over 20 years prior. She was released on bail.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conducted an autopsy on the boy’s remains to determine the cause of death. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)