A video of an infant, “Man on Man,” ignites controversy...and the union in Egypt intervenes

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Circulating video clips of an Egyptian doctor specializing in neonatology sparked widespread controversy on social media, after he appeared in clips carrying children after their birth, while another clip showed an infant placing one leg on top of the other, which opened the door to discussion about controls on the appearance of children in medical content published on digital platforms.

In this context, local media published statements attributed to Dr. Ahmed Mabrouk Al-Sheikh, a member of the Medical Syndicate Council and rapporteur of the Media Committee, regarding the Syndicate’s position on the circulating videos, and the possibility of referring the doctor in question to the Professional Ethics Committee.

According to the published statements, the doctor’s referral to the Professional Ethics Committee remains linked to the adoption of the new media appearance regulations, which includes controls for regulating medical media and advertising content, including rules related to the appearance of children and protecting their privacy.

The Supreme Council for Media Regulation had announced the details of draft amendments to the Professional Ethics Regulations, which include controls for the media appearance of doctors, including prohibiting the exploitation of children in advertising or medical media content, taking into account the legislation regulating their protection.

The Egyptian Medical Syndicate also published the draft amendments to the regulations on its official website on October 17, and announced that it is scheduled to be presented to the General Assembly on October 23.

The state of discomfort was not limited to the moral and union aspects only, but social media platforms witnessed a widespread wave of condemnation from a large number of doctors and specialists in pediatrics and surgery. They confirmed that the way the child is treated in these clips poses a direct medical and health risk to his safety.

Doctors explained that the bones and joints of newborn babies are extremely soft, and that forcing the infant into unnatural positions - such as a “one leg over the other” position or moving and carrying him in a way that shows off the shooting angle - may lead to severe injuries to the pelvic joint or strain on the spine and muscles whose support capacity has not yet been completed, in addition to the possibility of him being exposed to joint dislocation or falling while viewing the content.

Until now, there is no documented information confirming the issuance of an official decision to refer the doctor to the Professional Ethics Committee against the backdrop of the circulating videos, as the published statements addressed the possibility of taking this measure after the adoption of the new regulations.

The incident revives the discussion about the controls for publishing medical content on social media sites, and the boundaries between introducing medical services and using pictures and clips of patients, especially newborns, in content published to the public.