Doctors Pic: Liliana-Resurge International

A vaginal plastic surgeon has been cleared of allegedly conducting female genital mutilation (FGM) on a 33-year-old patient.

Dr Sureshkumar Pandya working from Regency Clinic in Hoxton performed the cosmetic vaginal operation, referred to as labia reduction or labiaplasty, in 2012.

The patient came out of her own volition, trying to find a solution for her “excessively large labia,” which caused her physical discomfort.

The surgery did not go according to plan, and the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found that the surgery resulted in an almost complete removal of the vaginal lips.

The patient was unaware of the risks following the surgery due to Pandya’s bad “record-keeping” and lack of professional communication.

The patient, who remains anonymous, complained to her GP and the General Medical Council a few weeks after the operation, feeling extremely unhappy and worried about the surgery performed.

Pandya said that the surgery had been a standard one, with a regular patient and nothing worrying him after the operation.

He confirmed in court that he had not intended to carry out FGM and has never performed FGM, and that he is “very much against it.”

Although the GMC believed the surgery was “equivalent to female genital mutilation”, the MPTS panel found him innocent of causing harm to the clitoris, and cleared him from malpractice and did not issue a formal warning, due to his good historical record.

He still faces risks for his mistakes in record keeping and for the severe ‘clinical failure’ and is currently banned from operating on female genitalia and will be kept under the observation of the GMC.

By Yara Zeitoun