KUALA LUMPUR: A teenager who suffered permanent disability after a circumcision procedure went awry eight years ago has filed a suit against two government hospitals and four others for negligence.

The 18-year-old boy, who filed the lawsuit via his mother, has named a medical assistant, a doctor at the Kuala Lipis Hospital in Pahang, Kuala Lipis Hospital director, a doctor at Selayang Hospital, Selayang Hospital's director and the government as defendants.

In the lawsuit filed on July 19, he said on Dec 13, 2010, at about 10am, the first defendant carried out the circumcision surgery, with consent and knowledge of the second defendant when he was

10 years old at a house in Kuala Lipis.

He alleged that the medical assistant had failed to adhere standard operating procedure (SOP) and without duty of care where the latter had cut off the entire glans of the plaintiff's penis.

He said as a result of the negligence, the glans was dismembered and bleeding profusely.

He added that the medical assistant later restitched the glans and covered it with a white bandage cloth, but that still failed to stop the bleeding.

The plaintiff said his family members were told to bring him to the Kuala Lipis Hospital and upon reaching the hospital, the second defendant informed the family members that his urethra was accidentally cut off.

The youth said the second defendant knew the glans had been cut off due to the circumcision surgery which failed to follow SOP but did not inform the family, adding, that the second defendant took a long time to make a decision to refer him to Selayang Hospital.

He said he underwent a surgery to reattach the glans after five hours of arriving at Selayang Hospital and the fourth defendant had given an assurance to his mother that the glans would likely to grow when he reached 17 years old, but it did not.

The plaintiff said he suffered permanent disability and as a result of the malpractice, he only makes friends with small children and did not understand at all about sexuality.

He is seeking a RM108,356 in expenses and costs; general damages, special damages, cost and other relief deem fit by the court.

In his defence, the first defendant has denied that he was negligent and did not follow SOP and claimed that at all material time, he had discharged his responsibility based on the standard medical practice.

The first defendant also said that the suit was filed out of the six years' timeframe as it was filed on July 19.

On Friday (Nov 30), counsel Mohamad Zainuddin Abu Bakar told reporters after meeting High Court deputy registrar Rumaizah Baharom in chambers that the next case management has been fixed on Dec 7.