Debra Buchanan says she was mistaken for another patient with a similar first name before undergoing an operation she had not expected.
MELBOURNE, Australia — A grandmother says she was left permanently disfigured after undergoing surgery intended for another patient at a Melbourne hospital, an apparent identification mix-up that began when staff called a similar first name in a waiting area.
Debra Buchanan had gone to the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital at Sunshine Hospital on Jan. 23 for a procedure to remove a cancerous skin lesion, according to Australian news reports. Instead, Buchanan said surgeons performed a different operation involving the removal of external genital tissue. She later had to return to the hospital so doctors could perform the procedure she originally needed.
Buchanan told “A Current Affair” that the confusion began before surgery when staff called for a patient named Deborah. Buchanan said she questioned whether staff meant her and gave her surname. Another woman nearby also said her name was Deborah, according to Buchanan’s account. Staff nevertheless indicated they had the correct patient and Buchanan was taken through for surgery.
Buchanan, who previously worked as a dental nurse, said the way she was identified concerned her because she was familiar with procedures designed to confirm a patient’s identity. She said she did not realize the extent of the apparent error until after waking from the operation and noticing that the cancerous lesion she expected doctors to remove was still present.
She also experienced significant bleeding after the procedure and asked hospital staff why it was happening, according to her account. Buchanan said a junior surgeon later spoke with her about what had been done. She then called her husband and told him she believed the wrong operation had been performed. Buchanan said she was discharged without receiving a full explanation at the time.
Buchanan later returned to the hospital for another operation to remove the original cancerous lesion. She said the experience made returning for medical treatment frightening and has affected her confidence and social life. She described continuing anxiety about visiting doctors following the incident.
Erin Monsalve Fear, a lawyer representing Buchanan, described the episode as a serious failure of safeguards intended to prevent wrong-patient or wrong-procedure surgery. Fear said Buchanan had not been properly consulted or given consent for the operation that was carried out. Reports did not identify the other patient or disclose whether that person’s treatment was affected by the apparent mix-up.
Western Health, which operates the hospital, declined to discuss Buchanan’s individual care because of patient privacy and confidentiality obligations. Chief Operating Officer John Ferraro said in a statement reported by Australian media that patients have a right to safe, high-quality care and that patient safety remains the health service’s highest priority.
Western Health said that when a patient suffers an adverse event, Victoria’s Statutory Duty of Candour process requires the health service to apologize, meet with the patient, review what happened and share findings and measures intended to prevent a recurrence. Western Health’s published safety documents also describe procedures for investigating serious adverse events and communicating with patients and families after harm occurs.
The health service has not publicly provided a detailed account of how Buchanan was identified before surgery or which specific safeguards failed in her case. It also has not publicly identified individual staff members involved or released the findings of any internal review. Buchanan’s account and her legal representative’s statements therefore provide much of the publicly available detail about the incident.
As of Friday, no public report reviewed for this article indicated that Western Health had released the results of an investigation into Buchanan’s case or announced disciplinary action. Buchanan continues to seek answers over how the wrong procedure was performed and what changes will be made to prevent another patient from experiencing a similar error.
Author note: Last updated August 7, 2026.