Authorities are ‘conducting raids’ to locate an individual who allegedly pretended to be a doctor and utilized a YouTube video to perform surgery on a teenager, who subsequently passed away.
Relatives of Krishna Kumar, also referred to as Golu, brought the 15-year-old to a private clinic in the Sarah district of Bihar, India, after he experienced ‘stomach pain’ and began vomiting.
Although the vomiting ceased ‘soon after’ their arrival at the medical facility, a ‘doctor’ informed the family that the teenager still required surgery.
Krishna’s father, Chandan Sah, told The Hindu: “My son had stomach pain and so we took him there.”
The Times of India reports that Krishna was given medication and felt better, yet the ‘doctor’ persisted in insisting on urgent surgery to remove the teenager’s gallstones.
Krishna’s grandfather asserts that the ‘doctor’ dispatched the boy’s father to a local petrol station for diesel, in case transportation to a hospital became necessary.
During this period, he claims the ‘doctor’ ‘began the surgery without [the family’s] consent’.
Sah stated: “During the surgery, I could see the quack repeatedly checking YouTube on his mobile for instructions.”
He reiterated to the Hindustan Times: “We just wanted the vomiting to stop. He conducted the operation without our consent.”
When Krishna’s condition worsened during the surgery, his father says the ‘doctor’ attempted to transfer him to another hospital, but he ‘died on the way’.
He further alleged that his son died due to the ‘botched operation’.
The 15-year-old’s family suspects the doctor was ‘self-styled and fake’ and are questioning whether the supposed medical professional had any qualifications.
Indian Medical Association’s state secretary Dr. Santosh Kumar Singh remarked: “This incident is very unfortunate. The health department must take action against such quacks.”
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Isha Gupta told The Hindu: “We have lodged a case against him and searches are underway to arrest the accused. Further investigation is on.”
Regrettably, this is not the first instance of someone posing as a fake doctor leading to a patient’s death.
In 2022, a 51-year-old woman was convicted of forging a license to secure employment as an anesthesiologist and was held responsible for the deaths of three patients and causing serious harm to others.
She was sentenced on three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder and received a life sentence.
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