Both surgeons deny charges of serious professional misconduct

The General Medical Council (GMC) hearing in London was delayed earlier on Monday after one of the doctors, Mahesh Goel, failed to turn up.

Following legal arguments, it was decided the hearing should go ahead without the presence of Dr Goel, now believed to be living in India.

Mr Goel and his supervising consultant John Roberts are accused of serious professional misconduct in connection with the operation on Korean war veteran Graham Reeves, 69. They both deny the charges.

During surgery at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli, Mr Reeves' good left kidney was removed instead of his diseased right one. The pensioner died five weeks later in March 2000.

The doctors were cleared of manslaughter at a subsequent trial at Cardiff Crown Court in June 2002. The prosecution's case collapsed after pathologist Dr Andrew Davison, told the court he could not be sure Mr Reeves died as a result of the mistake.

Describing the negligence as "abject, needless and inexcusable", Leighton Davies QC for the General Medical Council, said the actions of both men fell far below the standard of care to be expected of reasonable and competent surgeons.

Graham Reeves died five weeks after his wrong kidney was removed

He said Mr Goel, who carried out the procedure, and Mr Roberts, who oversaw it, were guilty of serious professional misconduct "because of their thoughtlessness and want of due care".

"It was his left kidney which was keeping him alive," Mr Davies added.

"After that operation in the morning of January 24 2000 his body, in effect, was left with no kidney or renal function whatsoever.

"It was a situation of catastrophe, as not only Mr Roberts and Goel must have realised, but also everyone else who had been involved in that operation."

The hearing was then told how the healthy kidney had been placed in sterilising agent which meant they could not try to re-implement it. And after a discussion with the patient, Mr Roberts was given consent to carry out a second operation.

It was, Mr Davies said, a "desperate attempt to achieve some sort of activity in that kidney that was an attempt which was doomed to failure - but at the same time we don't say that it was wrong".

The following day, Mr Reeves was transferred to the nearby Morriston Hospital in Swansea for dialysis. His condition deteriorated.

He suffered blood pressure and cardiac problems and then developed septicaemia. The cause of this, the doctors concluded, was Mr Reeves' right, diseased kidney.

The pensioner deteriorated further and died on 1 March.

The GMC is examining allegations that the pair's conduct was "discretely and/or cumulatively unprofessional, incompetent, a dereliction of the duty of care and detrimental to the health and welfare of the patient".

The hearing continues.