Child surgeon case

45 year-old security guard Esteban Gómez Barrios has filed a second lawsuit claiming that an 11 year-old boy, who is the son of Colombian doctor Olmedo Valencia, was illegally allowed to participate in a surgery. The case comes in addition to the previous incident that was reported by Miriam Briceño Montaño.
According to Gómez, after prolonged physical therapy treatment on his right pinky finger, he was scheduled for an operation at the local Hospital. After the surgery however, Gómez experienced complications and was not able to recover movement in his finger.
The security guard told the newspaper “La Estrella de Iquique” that apart from the doctor, an alleged nurse and the boy were also present during the surgery. According to Gómez, the boy did not participate as a mere observer but, after an initial incision was made by his father, actually used a pair of tweezers to grasp and move the man’s tendons and then proceeded to suture the wound while under the supervision and following instructions of Olmedo Valencia.
At the time of the incident, the patient reportedly asked for clarification regarding the 11 year-old boy’s participation in the operation, but was told by hospital personnel that it was a “common occurrence”.(EMOL 08/08/2008)