A SURGEON has denied confusion contributed to the "appalling" blunder in which a patient's only healthy kidney was removed, an inquiry heard yesterday.

Mahesh Goal, 41, formerly of Burnley General Hospital, maintained he was not present when his boss queried theatre staff about the correct organ to be removed.

He told police he was certain he had cut out patient Graham Reeves' diseased left kidney.

But the surgeon said consultant John Gethin Roberts, 61, told him to "scrub" for the operation only moments before surgery.

Goal, whose police interview was being read at the General Medical Council (GMC) hearing by barrister Leighton Davis QC yesterday, said any confusion would have halted the operation.

He said: "I would have de-scrubbed, got the medical notes and x-rays and sat down alone to confirm the position. I would have taken a few minutes but I would have stopped everything."

He also added he was "certainly shocked" to learn he had removed the wrong kidney.

Earlier, Roberts gave an account of the fateful operation in a police statement that was read out at the hearing in London yesterday. He said the operation was to be carried out under his supervision by Mr Goel, who Mr Roberts described as "a very competent and relatively senior trainee."

In his statement, Mr Roberts described how the x-ray transparencies were marked to show the left and right kidneys. But Mr Roberts said: "I inadvertently put the right kidney up on the lefthand side and assumed the correct operation was listed on the operating list."

Mr Goel later removed the healthy left organ as had been wrongly prescribed in the hospital admission slip.

Mr Roberts then described how, two hours later, an anaesthetist noticed the victim, Mr Reeves, 69, from South Wales, was producing no urine. He added: "I decided to read all the x-rays. On doing so it became obvious the wrong kidney had been removed.

"I went to speak to the patient, who was conscious but drowsy. I told him we had made a mistake and removed the wrong kidney. I asked him to let us take him back to theatre and he agreed."

Surgeons then tried to kick-start his remaining diseased kidney. The operation failed and he died five weeks later. The operation on January 24, 2000, was carried out at Prince Philip Hospital, in Llanelli, Wales.

Mr Goel, who later worked as a locum at Burnley General Hospital, and now lives in India, has not attended the tribunal but denies misconduct.

Mr Roberts from Swansea, denies the same charge but admits the series of errors that led to the botched procedure.

The hearing continues.