A grandmother in Melbourne, Australia, has sued the hospital after a surgical mix-up she says permanently disfigured her body. 

Debra Buchanan was admitted to the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital at Sunshine Hospital on January 23 for the removal of a skin tag from her pelvic area. It was supposed to be a minor procedure.

Instead, the hospital‘s surgeon removed a large portion of her genitalia while leaving the cancerous skin tag untouched. The error stemmed from a name mix-up involving two patients with the same first name, Deborah.

Buchanan recalled the moment she was called in for surgery while speaking to A Current Affair, “They called Deborah, and I said, ‘Did you mean Buchanan?’ And they said, ‘Oh yes, you’ll do.’ The woman next to me said, ‘I’m Deborah,’ and they said, ‘Oh no, we’ve got the right one’.”

Buchanan, who worked for years as a dental nurse, said she had never used a patient’s first name to call them. “You can’t make a mistake on a person. It’s not like breaking a cup. It’s life to them,” she said.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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She discovered the error after waking up from surgery to find herself bleeding heavily. She walked to the bathroom and called for a nurse. “Can you explain why I’m bleeding so badly?” she asked.

Buchanan further recalled, “She said, ‘Oh, that’s part of the operation.’ And I said, ‘What operation?’ I said, ‘I had it on here,’ and as I touched it, it was still there.” A junior surgeon later came to see her but did not adequately explain what had happened.

She stated, “I got a little bit to say that because of the two Debras, and also they were understaffed at the time. I found it very difficult to listen to.” The distressed grandmother called her husband and told him about the wrong operation. She was discharged from the hospital without a clear explanation of what had happened.


She visited the same hospital again to get the skin tag removed and claimed to be terrified: “Every time I have to go to the doctor, I’m anxious; I’ve lost my confidence.”

Buchanan has sued the hospital over medical negligence.

Her lawyer, Erin Monsalve Fear, has called the incident a “complete systemic failure.” Fear added, “There are so many safeguards and procedures that should be in place to prevent this from occurring, and it’s evident that those have simply failed or not been followed in Deb’s instance. Apart from being permanently mutilated, Buchanan has lost faith in the medical profession after the incident.”

Western Health chief operating officer, John Ferraro, released a statement acknowledging the incident: “In line with Victoria’s Statutory Duty of Candour requirements, where a patient adverse event has occurred, we provide an apology, meet with the patient, undertake a review of the incident, and share the findings and actions taken to help prevent a recurrence. We are committed to open and transparent communication with patients throughout this process.”

Disclaimer: The Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public record.