Boy awarded RM359,123 after botched circumcision leaves permanent scarring

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — A Terengganu Sessions Court has reportedly awarded RM359,122.90 to a boy who suffered permanent scarring and extensive skin loss following a botched circumcision at a private clinic in 2023.

The New Straits Times reported that Judge Wan Nor Aklima Wan Salleh awarded RM300,000 in general damages and RM59,122.90 in special and future damages after finding Klinik Perubatan Hijraa in Kuala Nerus medically negligent.

The boy suffered serious genital injuries that required prolonged hospital treatment and further surgery, including full-thickness skin grafting.

His mother had initially chosen laser circumcision, but the attending doctor recommended the clamp method over concerns that the boy might develop keloids.

The court heard that he developed swelling and bleeding after the procedure in March 2023 before being admitted to Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital.

Three specialists testified that his injuries were not normal complications of a properly performed circumcision, while expert evidence showed that the risk of keloids was irrelevant to whether the laser method could be used.

Wan Nor Aklima said the clinic did not call an expert to support its claim that the boy’s condition was an acceptable complication or provide a reasonable technical explanation for the circumferential skin loss.

Although surgery was generally successful and the boy had resumed normal activities, the court noted that he would carry the graft scar into adulthood and that any effect beyond its cosmetic appearance could not yet be determined.

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 critical Facebook posts, but the defamation suit was dismissed and the company has appealed against the entire decision.