SINGAPORE, Feb 7 — State Coroner Adam Nakhoda criticised a surgeon whose patient died after a botched procedure, saying the doctor was not forthcoming and gave untrue accounts of what happened.

The consultant urologist operated on a 63‑year‑old woman at Raffles Hospital on April 29, 2022 after scans revealed a 7.5cm tumour in her kidney, according to the Straits Times.

“Any reasonably competent surgeon would have realised by now too many large vessels not directly related to the kidney had been ligated and transected,” the state coroner said.

“The consequences of ignoring the obvious clues and making no attempts to correct the situation while the opportunity may still exist while the patient is still in the operating theatre is incomprehensible,” he added.

He said the delays in verifying the mistake with a computed tomography (CT) scan and in calling a vascular surgeon were inexcusable and may have contributed to her death.

The coroner noted that Dr Fong Yan Kit mistakenly severed the superior mesenteric artery and coeliac trunk instead of the renal veins, cutting off blood supply to the woman’s abdominal organs.

She died in hospital on May 2, 2022 after the error was not recognised in time and specialist help was delayed.

The coroner said the patient’s death was avoidable if the mistake had been admitted earlier and immediate repair performed.

He ruled the death a medical misadventure and said Dr Fong’s medical reports skirted around the fact that the wrong arteries had been severed.

Expert testimony from Professor Christopher Cheng of Singapore General Hospital found the arteries were anatomically distinct and identifiable on CT scans.

Prof Cheng said the surgical video showed no attempt to confirm the renal artery and noted a 13‑minute pause after the wrong arteries were cut.

He added there was no documentation that Dr Fong sought a second opinion during the pause.

The coroner said there were three opportunities to remedy the errors, but none were taken.

He recommended surgeons review and plan procedures carefully, and pause to verify anatomy if the surgical landscape appears different than expected.

The patient’s family was represented at the inquiry by lawyers from WongPartnership.

Raffles Hospital has been contacted for comment, and Dr Fong remains listed as a specialist in its urology department.