A hearing of the General Medical Council (GMC) has been told that a male patient had his right testicle removed in error by a locum doctor.

The Press Association reports that Dr Sulieman Al Hourani was working as a locum surgeon at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, Greater Manchester at the time of the incident in September 2007.

The unnamed patient was admitted to undergo an operation to remove a cyst from his right testis. Dr Al Hourani mistakenly removed the entire right testicle, the GMC hearing was told.

Dr Al Hourani is facing a charge of misconduct over the error – and faces further charges of injecting himself with a drug intended for a patient, as well as stealing medication in tablet form.

The surgeon is now practising in Jordan – he did not attend the Fitness to Practise hearing in Manchester and was not represented by lawyers. The GMC panel decided to proceed with the case in his absence – Dr Al Hourani had been notified of the hearing, but elected not to ‘engage’ with the GMC or appoint lawyers to represent him, according to sources.

The unnamed patient – known only as Patient A at the hearing – was the first patient to undergo surgery that day. His medical notes were ‘perfectly clear’ about the procedure he was to undergo – an ‘excision of right epididymal cyst’. The mistake was thought to have occurred when a nurse assisting Dr Al Hourani turned her back for a moment to find a stitch, and turned back to discover the man’s testicle had been completely removed.

Opening the hearing, counsel for the GMC said that staff would be telling the hearing that Dr Al Hourani himself appeared ‘surprised’ that the patient’s testicle had been removed, rather than having the procedure he was supposed to undergo.

‘Staff had no discussion or issue raised by Dr Al Hourani in the procedure as to why he was changing from excision of a cyst to removal of a testicle.’

Following the incident, an investigation was launched and Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust – who ran the hospital – dismissed Dr Al Hourani.

The hearing continues.

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