Stressed doctor lost his temper and cut off his patient's penis

Stressed doctor cuts off patient's penis

Extracts:

1) "Naum Ciomu, 58, was operating on the man to correct a testicular malformation when he lost his temper. Grabbing a scalpel, he sliced off the penis in front of amazed nursing staff, then cut it into three pieces before storming out of the operating theatre at the Panduri Urology Hospital in Bucharest.

A Romanian court has ordered Prof Ciomu to pay £100,000 damages and £20,000 costs to the victim, Nelu Radonescu, a 36-year-old builder."

2) "The medical costs will be covered by the hospital's insurer, but doctors' unions have criticised the court's decision to make Prof Ciomu pay the damages personally. The unions claim the case could set a dangerous precedent, and doctors may refuse to carry out operations for fear of making a mistake. They said Prof Ciomu, a urologist and lecturer in anatomy, had been punished enough by having his medical licence suspended."

3) "The surgeon told a court he lost his temper after he accidentally cut the patient's urinary channel. He said it was a loss of judgement due to personal problems.

Mr Radonescu will use the compensation to pay for an operation to rebuild his penis, using tissue from his arm."It will never be the same, but if I am even a quarter of the man I was, I will still be very content," he said."

Clearly, anyone so lacking in self-control, judgment and concern for the welfare of others as this doctor has no business being a doctor at all!

I applaud "the court's decision to make Prof Ciomu pay the damages personally". - Well done! - If all medical negligence resulted in the negligent personnel paying substantial funds to their victims (rather than insurance companies paying) there would be an immediate and lasting fall in the incidence of negligence and consequent suffering of patients.

But surely, there should also be a criminal prosecution for the gross, wanton, inexcusible mutilation wrought by this surgeon on his innocent patient?