Stressed doctor cuts off patient's penis
By Michael Leidig in Bucharest, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:02am GMT 21/01/2007
A Romanian doctor who hacked off a patient's penis during surgery before slicing it into pieces has claimed he was suffering from stress.
Naum Ciomu, 58, was operating on the man to correct a testicular malformation when he lost his temper. Grabbing a scalpel, he sliced off the penis in front of amazed nursing staff, then cut it into three pieces before storming out of the operating theatre at the Panduri Urology Hospital in Bucharest.
A Romanian court has ordered Prof Ciomu to pay £100,000 damages and £20,000 costs to the victim, Nelu Radonescu, a 36-year-old builder.
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"The trauma has left a deep mark both physically and psychologically," said Mr Radonescu. "It is hard for a man who wants to have sex, yet lacks the organ. My wife is the best thing I have."
The medical costs will be covered by the hospital's insurer, but doctors' unions have criticised the court's decision to make Prof Ciomu pay the damages personally. The unions claim the case could set a dangerous precedent, and doctors may refuse to carry out operations for fear of making a mistake. They said Prof Ciomu, a urologist and lecturer in anatomy, had been punished enough by having his medical licence suspended.
Dr Braticevici Bogdan, a former colleague of the disgraced doctor, said: "The amount of the damages is disproportionate compared with the doctors' salaries and the living standards in Romania." Senior hospital doctors may earn no more than £500 a month.
The surgeon told a court he lost his temper after he accidentally cut the patient's urinary channel. He said it was a loss of judgement due to personal problems.
Mr Radonescu will use the compensation to pay for an operation to rebuild his penis, using tissue from his arm."It will never be the same, but if I am even a quarter of the man I was, I will still be very content," he said.
