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Friday, 27 March 2009 14:47 KR News
A patient who has his penis amputated due to a misdiagnosis is not eligible for compensation

A Funen man’s claim for compensation after doctor’s amputated his penis has been denied because the Patient Insurance Association said medical staff had acted in good faith.

Ib Jørgensen, 42, from Odense, went to his doctors in 2006 complaining of pain and swelling in his penis. Following tests, specialists at Odense University Hospital diagnosed a fatal form of cancer and recommended immediate amputation.

‘It was an utterly frightening choice, because the thought of having to lose your penis is completely horrible. But when I looked at my family and children there really wasn’t a choice, I just had to survive,’ said Jørgensen to TV2 News.
However, one year later a familiar swelling returned in Jørgensen’s scrotum, causing doctors to have concerns about their initial diagnosis. A review of tissue samples by other hospitals found that the patient had been misdiagnosed with cancer and was instead suffering from a rare infection.

Jørgensen requested compensation of 200,000 kroner from the Patient Insurance Association, which decides claims for patients injured in connection with treatment in the national health service.

However, last week the association sent its second rejection letter to Jørgensen, saying that if the presiding doctor was judged to have been the most experienced in the field of treatment then compensation was not possible, even if the health issue was misdiagnosed.

Jørgensen had hoped for compensation for the physical and mental hardships he has suffered since the amputation, including the loss of his sex life.