Patients in Harlow may be concerned to learn that the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service which heard the case of a doctor who performed an incorrect surgery on a patient has decided that he is fit to continue to practice and has chosen not to remove him from the medical register. The doctor performed a vasectomy operation on a patient by mistake and had later acknowledged that he was guilty of professional misconduct.

The doctor defended his actions by telling the tribunal that patients were being brought into the operating theatre in the incorrect order by other medical staff and that patients had been complaining. He confessed that he had failed to check the identity of the patient that he was operating on and that when he realised that he had incorrectly performed a vasectomy on the patient, he performed an unauthorised surgical procedure to reverse the vasectomy and failed to tell the hospital or a urologist about his mistake.

The incident took place at the Broadgreen Hospital in Liverpool where the patient was due to have an operation to remove some scar tissue. The tribunal heard that the doctor had been expecting to perform a vasectomy on another patient and that when a vasectomy tray was placed in the operating theatre he performed the operation. The decision to give the doctor a warning and allow him to continue practicing was made based on the doctor’s regret and the low probability of a similar mistake occurring in the future.

A solicitor proficient in effectively pursuing cases of medical malpractice may be able to assist a patient who has suffered due to hospital negligence. A successful case that results in compensation for the suffering of the patient may also have the effect of ensuring that the negligent parties take responsibility for their errors.