Photograph: Nicolas Hansen/Getty ImagesDoctors at an Irish hospital accidentally operated on the wrong testicle during surgery on a patient who had gone under the knife for a procedure on his genitalia, it has emerged. However, a patient advocacy group criticised this stance and said wrong-site surgery should never happen. In 2024, incidents were reported at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown; Nenagh Hospital in Tipperary; and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital in Limerick. A State Claims Agency review previously found that 25 claims in respect of wrong-site surgery had been settled between 2016 and 2020, costing taxpayers more than €6 million. Stephen McMahon of the Irish Patients Association noted wrong-site surgery is classed as a “never event”, meaning it is the kind of mistake that should never happen.

Source: The Irish Times March 13, 2026 18:43 UTC