Junior surgeon ‘did not question’ mentor

A JUNIOR surgeon at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin fought back tears yesterday as he described how he had removed the wrong kidney from a six-year-old boy.

In emotional evidence, Sri Paran said he could not explain why he had never checked the patient’s X-rays before performing the surgery on March 21, 2008. However, he stressed that he had been following the instructions of senior paediatric consultant, Professor Martin Corbally, whom he assumed had looked at the X-rays.

A hearing of the Irish Medical Council was informed that Mr Paran had three opportunities to look at the X-rays before removing a healthy kidney from the boy. Questioned why he failed to check the radiological records, Mr Paran replied: “I have been asking myself that question for two years and I don’t know.”