Dramatic halt to inquiry into botched kidney op

A MEDICAL inquiry into two surgeons responsible for the removal of the wrong kidney from a young boy at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin was dramatically halted yesterday after the committee invoked a new piece of legislation to terminate proceedings.

The Fitness to Practise Committee of the Irish Medical Council (IMC) decided to stop the inquiry without hearing all the scheduled evidence on the basis that the two doctors have given a number of undertakings about their future conduct.

Such a course of action is allowed under a little-known section of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007.