Teen dies after ‘fake doctor’ reportedly conducts surgery by following a YouTube tutorial
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Police are 'conducting raids' to find a person who allegedly posed as a doctor and used a YouTube video to perform surgery on a teenager who's since died.
Family members of Krishna Kumar - also known as Golu - took the 15-year-old to a private clinic in the district of Sarah in Bihar, India after he complained of 'stomach pain' and began throwing up.
While the vomiting stopped 'soon after' they reached the medical facility, a 'doctor' told the family that the teenager would still need to be operated on.
Krishna's father, Chandan Sah, told The Hindu: "My son had stomach pain and so we took him there."
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The Times of India reports that Krishna was given medication and felt better, however, the 'doctor' continued to insist on urgent surgery to remove the teenager's gallstones.
Krishna's grandfather claims the 'doctor' sent the boy's father to a local petrol station for diesel in case they needed to transport him to hospital.
During this time, he says the 'doctor' 'began the surgery without [the family's] consent'.
Sah claimed: "During the surgery, I could see the quack repeatedly checking YouTube on his mobile for instructions."
The father echoed to the Hindustan Times: "We just wanted the vomiting to stop. He conducted the operation without our consent."
When Krishna began deteriorating during the surgery, his father says the 'doctor' tried to take him to another hospital, but he 'died on the way'.
He further claimed that his son died because of the 'botched operation'.
The 15-year-old's family believe the doctor was 'self-styles and fake' and have been left questioning whether the supposed medical professional even had any qualifications.
Indian Medical Association's state secretary Dr Santosh Kumar Singh stated: "This incident is very unfortunate. The health department must take action against such quacks."
While Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Isha Gupta told The Hindu: "We have lodged a case against him and searches are under way to arrest the accused. Further investigation is on."
Unfortunately, it's not the first time someone has posed as a fake doctor and caused the death of a patient.
In 2022, a 51-year-old woman was found guilty of forging a license to obtain employment as an anesthesiologist and was found responsible for the death of three patients and causing others serious damage.
She was sentenced on three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder and handed life in prison.
UNILAD has contacted the DSP for further comment.
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