Surgeons cleared of killing patient but accused of negligence

TWO surgeons who were cleared of killing a patient whose only healthy kidney was wrongly removed were yesterday accused at a disciplinary hearing of “abject, needless and inexcusable” negligence.

Leighton Davies QC, for the General Medical Council, said the actions of consultant urologist John Gethin Roberts and medical registrar Mahesh Goel in carrying out an operation on 69-year-old John Graham Reeves fell far below the standard of care to be expected of reasonable and competent surgeons. Korean War veteran Mr Reeves had his good left kidney removed by the two surgeons instead of his chronically diseased right one.

Mr Davies said Mr Goel and Mr Roberts were guilty of serious professional misconduct “because of their thoughtlessness and want of due care”. Their negligence was “so abject, needless and inexcusable” and “so far below the standard of care to be expected” that it went far beyond anything that could ordinarily be covered by compensation.