Be safe than sorry

The “komadrona” or midwife who circumcised the child who died last May wants to talk to the family about a settlement. Autopsy of the child revealed the cause of death to be a reaction to the anesthesia. It was also revealed that the midwife performed the circumcision, not a doctor. The midwife added that she did not intentionally put the child in danger and regretted what happened. What parent wants their child to perish because of a simple medical procedure?

The child's mother immediately said that she would not settle. She wants justice for what happened to her child. The midwife is now charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and illegal practice of medicine. That is what I want to point out. Why are people who are not doctors allowed to practice medicine? Like this midwife. She may have been performing circumcisions for a long time. Surely the barangay knows that. Why was she allowed to continue? In the Philippines, a doctor must perform circumcisions. That is according to the Philippine Society of General Surgeons.

But even if someone has already died at the hands of a midwife, I wouldn't be surprised if there are still people who are not afraid to have their child’s circumcision performed by midwives. As long as there are those willing to have it done, the illegal practice will continue. The Department of Health (DOH) needs to crack down on these unlicensed practitioners, not just in circumcisions. Some prescribe drugs without a license or are not even covered by their education or training. There are so many things that can happen when giving medicine or performing procedures. Even a simple procedure like circumcision can have complications. In the case of the child who died, he had a bad reaction to the anesthesia given. Some drugs have strong side effects or have adverse interactions with other medications. Doctors know that. They have studied that extensively.

I hope this incident teaches an important lesson. Medical missions where doctors offer circumcisions are common in the Philippines, especially during the summer months when kids are on vacation. There are government hospitals where these procedures can be done for a minimal fee, if not for free. It's better to be safe than sorry. It's best to have a trained professional do anything to our bodies. Once something bad starts happening, the untrained may be helpless to stop it.