Man left infertile after wrong testicle removed

A man was left infertile after surgeons botched an operation on his testicle.

Doctors at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds were tasked with removing the man's right epididymis - a coiled tube which carries sperm away from the testicles - but they removed the left one instead.

The man, who has not been named, had to undergo a second operation in January last year on his right testicle, which resulted in infertility.

Health bosses declined to comment on whether he has received any compensation.

Nigel Kee, interim chief operating officer at the hospital, said: "The safety of our patients is our number one priority. As such, we take any incidents which compromise safety extremely seriously.

"A thorough investigation into this case was carried out by an independent consultant, who advised us to introduce an additional hospital-wide policy giving clearer instructions on marking and verifying sites prior to surgery.

"We implemented this recommendation immediately.

"We have an overriding duty to protect the confidentiality of our patients. As such, we will not comment in any further detail on this case."