The Medical Council has resumed an inquiry into why the wrong kidney was removed from a young boy at Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin.
The Fitness to Practise inquiry is looking into allegations of professional misconduct against the two doctors involved, consultant paediatric surgeon Professor Martin Corbally and specialist registrar Sri Paran.
Prof Corbally is facing 15 allegations of profession misconduct while his colleague Mr Paran is facing 12 allegations of profession misconduct.
In evidence today before the inquiry, Mr Robert Wheeler, a consultant paediatric surgeon in Britain, said that the lead surgeon, Prof Corbally, made the decision for the operation without reviewing the full imaging reports, which was unwise and fell below standards.
He said that the patient, identified as Master Conroy, was Prof Corbally's patient and that somewhere between the decision to remove a kidney and the removal of it, someone had to check the imaging to ensure that the correct side was being chosen.
Mr Wheeler said that if there was inappropriate delegation of the surgery, or control of the procedure, this would amount to a serious omission.
At the start of the inquiry last May, the boy's mother said she had asked staff to check the correct operation was planned before her son went into theatre on 21 March 2008.
