Two doctors at an exclusive medical practice in London have been suspended after accidentally removing the vagina of a transgender man who was requesting cosmetic surgery to add a penis and a hysterectomy.
After the doctors became aware of the mistake they had made, one of the doctors attempted to amend the consent form to legitimize the wrongful procedure.
Giulio Garaffa, a renowned penis consultant at the exclusive Harley Street medical center, accidentally carried out an unnecessary and unwanted procedure–removing the patient’s vagina, which they had not requested–and, when the mistake was realized, his colleague, Marco Capece, altered the form to make it appear as if consent had been given, a tribunal was told, according to The Daily Mail.
As part of the transitioning process, the patient consented for a hysterectomy and a metoidioplasty–a surgical procedure which removes skin, usually from the arm, and creates a makeshift penis.
A week after the initial procedure, the patient–known simply as Patient A–became aware that their vagina had been removed, moving the distraught individual to floods of tears.
The Daily Mail reported that “Dr Garaffa was found guilty of four charges of misconduct and was handed a five month suspension whilst Dr Capece was found guilty of three misconduct charges and suspended for 12 months.”
Both doctors, from Italy, failed to obtain consent for what they had done. And, as a result, the the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service told how the “unwanted surgery” has had a “profound impact in all aspects of his life including his mental well-being.”
Patient A began his gender transition in 2013, undergoing reconstructive chest surgery and hormone replacement therapy.
https://twitter.com/bailey6117/status/1232360448508428288
Social media users were confused at the revelation of the story. One said, “The Man had said repeatedly he did not.want his Vagina removed. What a world.”
The Man had said repeatedly he did not.want his Vagina removed. What a world.
— HunterGatherer (@astrologergayle) February 25, 2020
https://twitter.com/52degreesN/status/1232372298272952320
While another remarked, “I can’t even get past the pronouns. I’m tired of stories of surgeries that will never ever work even if everything goes well. They are trying to replicate what cannot be replicated. And wtf, a person either want a penis or a vagina. Someone who wants both? No patience for that.”
