Surgeons' ban 'too lenient'

Both surgeons had denied the charges against them

There is growing criticism of a 12-month suspension given to two doctors who removed the wrong kidney from a patient who later died.

Consultant urologist John Gethin Roberts and registrar Mahesh Goel - who carried out the procedure at Prince Phillip Hospital in Llanelli - were both found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council on Friday.

Both men had denied the charges.

But Huw Owen from Llanelli's community health council - a watchdog for the health service - said the verdict had "devastated" the town.

"An innocent man has died and the 12-month suspension is pathetic," he said, adding that they all felt "let down."

Pensioner Graham Reeves died five weeks after the operation.

I can understand that local people's anger must be quite considerable Dr Michael Wilks

The 69-year-old had been awaiting surgery to remove a diseased right kidney, but his left one was removed after the surgeons looked at an x-ray back-to-front.

Mr Roberts, 61, oversaw the surgery which Dr Goel - who was not present for the hearing - carried out.

Responding to the verdict, Plaid Cymru AM for mid and west Wales Helen Mary Jones, said it would "come as a surprise" to many in the community of Llanelli.

"I am no medical expert and therefore I am in no position to judge, but many people will feel that a 12-month suspension for a mistake with consequences of this magnitude is too lenient," she said.

"What is important now is that the confidence of the public is restored in what is overall an exceptional service provided by Prince Philip Hospital.

"Lessons have been learned and it is time now for staff and patients to be allowed to put this behind them so that they can move on."

But Mr Owen said the sentence had "undermined" the efforts staff have been making at the hospital.

Graham Reeves died five weeks after the operation

"There is no excuse for negligence on this scale.

"We have all suffered in Llanelli," he added.

Following the verdict, GMC committee chair Dr Chitra Bharucha said Dr Goel, 41, had made an incorrect entry in the urology department diary which wrongly indicated that the operation was to the left kidney.

The committee had also heard that Dr Goel conducted a ward round on the morning of the operation but did not speak to the patient as he was asleep.

The GMC determination in relation to Mr Roberts noted he "should have known" Mr Reeves was due to have the right kidney removed as he had seen the patient a month before the operation in January 2000.

It added: "You failed to notice the patient's operation was incorrectly entered in the diary as a left nephrectomy."

Dr Michael Wilks is the Chairman of the British Medical Association's Ethics Committee.

He said he was concerned that the GMC's processes did seem to "go along rather slowly."

"This produces a long time scale which just adds to the general anxiety and distress of the grieving families and the local community," he said.

"Whether the sentencing is appropriate or not it's not possible to say. I can understand that local people's anger must be quite considerable though," he added.

Mr Roberts and Dr Goel were cleared of Graham Reeves' manslaughter at Cardiff Crown Court in June 2002.

The prosecution's case collapsed after an expert pathologist told the court he could not be sure Mr Reeves died as a result of the mistake.