CHENNAI: The Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) on Wednesday imposed a 10-day suspension of treatment at Rainbow Children’s Hospital in Shollinganallur, following the controversy over YouTuber Irfan posting a video of him cutting the umbilical cord of his newborn at the operation theatre of the hospital.
The state health department has also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the private hospital.
Although the city-based hospital has been banned from providing treatment for 10 days, they can attend to existing inpatients. No new patients are to be admitted, stated a senior official with DMS.
On Tuesday, the health department sent a notice to YouTuber Irfan and filed a police complaint against him, following outrage over a delivery vlog which shows controversial footage of him cutting the umbilical cord after his wife’s labour and delivery at Rainbow Children’s Hospital. Only a healthcare professional can clamp and cut the umbilical cord soon after the child’s birth.
The DMS has also written to the Tamil Nadu Medical Council to look into the issue and take appropriate action against the Youtuber. Earlier, Irfan was issued a show-cause notice for revealing the gender of his unborn child, which is a punishable offence in India.