Florida Doctor Who Took Out Wrong Organ Fined $5,000

The state Board of Medicine says a South Florida surgeon who performed a gallbladder operation but took out a healthy kidney by mistake wasn’t inept or careless.

Health News Florida reported that the board said Bernard Zaragoza is a good doctor, but he had bad luck. A state hearing officer recommended a penalty of a $5,000 fine and 50 hours of community service.

Zaragoza has to reimburse the state $25,000 for the state’s costs of investigation and prosecution.

The 83-year-old patient he operated on in 2007 had his kidney located where his gallbladder should have been. Zaragoza cut the kidney out before discovering that.

“It’s a complication I never heard of, dreamed of, or imagined could happen,” Zaragoza said.