Australian Grandmother's Life Shattered After Shocking Hospital Mix-Up

A grandmother has spoken of the devastating moment she discovered she had undergone the wrong surgery after hospital staff allegedly confused her with another patient who shared the same first name. Debra Buchanan, from Australia, says she was left permanently disfigured earlier this year after what was meant to be a routine operation at the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital at Sunshine Hospital. The mistake that left a woman permanently disfigured An Australian woman was left permanently disfigured after surgery.

Credit: A Current Affair/Nine Buchanan had been admitted to have a cancerous skin lesion removed from her pelvic area. Instead, she says surgeons mistakenly removed a significant portion of her external genitalia after confusing her with another patient. Recalling the events before the operation, Buchanan said staff called out the wrong name before reassuring her she was the correct patient.

“They called Deborah, and I said, ‘Did you mean Buchanan? ’ And they said, ‘Oh yes, you’ll do. ’” She remembered another patient speaking up at the same time.