YouTuber Irfan regrets vlog on cutting his child's umbilical cord

Chennai, Oct 26
Popular Tamil YouTuber Irfan has written to the Tamil Nadu Health Department expressing regret over his vlog, in which he was seen cutting the umbilical cord of his newborn child.

In a letter addressed to the Department, Irfan stated that he holds the Tamil Nadu health authorities in high regard and had no intention of causing any harm.

Irfan, currently abroad, conveyed his regret via email, clarifying that he had not intended to violate any medical ethics.

Irfan, a well-known YouTuber in Tamil Nadu, posted a video filmed at a private hospital in Chennai.

The video showed him cutting his newborn's umbilical cord on camera, as he and his wife, Aaliya, celebrated the arrival of their first child.

The Department acted swiftly, ordering the hospital to pay a Rs 50,000 fine and suspending its operations for ten days.

The Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) also withdrew the Clinical Establishment Act registration of Rainbow Children's Hospital in Sholinganallur, suspending all patient care activities for ten days, effective October 24.

An exception was made for pregnant women receiving continuous treatment at the hospital.

Rajamoorthy, the Director of Medical and Rural Health Services, explained that the registration was withdrawn under Section 5 (2) of the Tamil Nadu Private Clinical Establishments (Regulation) Act.

He stated, "An operation theatre must be sterile, but Irfan took a camera inside and filmed the event. Only trained healthcare personnel are authorised to cut the umbilical cord immediately after delivery."

It is noteworthy that Irfan had previously faced controversy after disclosing the sex of his unborn child, following a prenatal test conducted abroad. Revealing the sex of a fetus is a violation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act.

The State Rural Health Department has also filed a police complaint against Niveditha, the gynaecologist at the Chennai private hospital and Irfan.

The YouTuber received backlash from various sources for filming the childbirth inside an operation theatre and for cutting the umbilical cord himself.