Newborn Dead After Quack Doctor Uses Razor Blade To Remove Natal Tooth

A newborn baby in Kenya died after a botched dental surgery performed by a quack doctor.

Local reports stated the mother, identified as Kelly Nkatha, noticed her 1-month-old baby’s natal teeth had developed on his jaw and took him to a doctor last week to get it removed. However, instead of using the right equipment to remove the tooth, the doctor extracted it using a razor blade, leaving the baby in excruciating pain.

The mother soon figured out something was wrong and rushed her son to a local hospital in Tharaka Nithi following the botched surgery, local news outlet Citizen Digital reported, quoting a police report.

The baby bled profusely and eventually succumbed while receiving treatment at the hospital. A police case was soon filed by the mother and investigation revealed the accused was a quack doctor.

Officers were investigating the incident, and it wasn’t clear if the accused has been taken into custody in connection with the incident. The charges that will be levied against the accused are also not known.

Meanwhile, the baby’s body remained at the hospital as of Monday as the probe continued.

More information was not available at the moment.

The incident comes months after a mother and her newborn child died in a botched delivery in the northern Indian city of Noida in July 2020. Following their death, the quack doctor allegedly dumped the bodies outside the medical facility and fled the area.

"The clinic owner left both of them outside the clinic, shut it and fled from the spot," a police officer told local media.

A case was filed under Indian Penal Code section 304A (causing death by negligence) and the fake doctor remained on the run at the time.

In another incident last year, the body of a fetus was left inside the mother’s womb after the baby's head was decapitated during a botched delivery in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. Following the surgery, the doctors referred the mother to another hospital stating she was critical but did not inform her about the incident.

At the second hospital, the doctors performed a C-section and found the torso of the baby inside the woman’s womb. A case was filed and the doctor was booked for causing death due to negligence.