The General Medical Council (GMC) has ruled that a doctor who wrongly removed 90 per cent of a baby’s bladder during a hernia operation can continue to perform hernia operations and other surgical procedures, but must be supervised for 12 months.

Asian News reports that consultant paediatric surgeon Pierina Kapur caused ‘irreparable damage’ to the urinary tract of a seven-week-old girl during a 'catastrophic' hernia operation in 2008.

Ms Kapur admitted mistaking the baby’s bladder for a hernia during the operation at Manchester Children's Hospital in Pendlebury in October 2008.

Last week, the GMC panel sitting in Manchester found 43-year-old Ms Kapur guilty of misconduct and the panel adjourned the hearing to consider restricting her practice.

The GMC has now decided Ms Kapur will have a 'workplace reporter' monitoring her work for the NHS and must also report on a regular basis to the GMC. She will not be able to practise in the private sector for one year, the GMC panel decided, after hearing that Ms Kapur’s ‘confidence’ had improved since the botched operation and her colleagues 'had no reservations or concerns as to her surgical skills'.

The GMC ruled that the 12-month supervision period ‘reflects the severity of the matters found proved’, but will allow Ms Kapur a ‘phased return’ to practising independently.

The panel’s ruling said:

‘In view of everything that it has heard – and the fact that no other patient concerns have been raised – the panel considers that you are capable of returning to unsupervised safe medical practice after a period of remediation.

‘The panel did not consider that a more severe sanction was necessary and is of the view that the patients should not be deprived of your medical services.’

The baby whose bladder Ms Kapur operated on is now 18 months’ old and will have to wear a catheter for the rest of her life.

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