SINGAPORE — A consultant urologist has been charged in court for allegedly causing the death of a 63-year-old woman during surgery at a private hospital in Singapore.
Fong Yan Kit, 54, was charged on March 12 in a district court with committing a negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide.
According to court documents, the doctor mistakenly severed the patient’s superior mesenteric artery and coeliac trunk—major blood vessels supplying the stomach and intestines—instead of the renal vein while performing surgery on April 29, 2022, at Raffles Hospital.
The error reportedly caused a loss of blood supply to the woman’s abdominal organs. She died in the hospital three days later, on May 2, 2022.
The patient had undergone the operation to remove a kidney growth, according to findings from a coroner’s inquiry in November 2025. Adam Nakhoda ruled that the woman died as a result of the medical procedure.
An expert report cited during the inquiry, written by Christopher Cheng of the Academy of Medicine Singapore, stated that when Dr. Fong realized an error may have occurred, he paused for about 13 minutes but did not acknowledge the mistake or call for assistance.
The report said a competent surgeon would have recognized that several large vessels unrelated to the kidney had been cut and taken steps to correct the situation while the patient was still in the operating theatre.
The coroner also noted that the doctor’s initial medical report did not disclose that the wrong arteries had been severed, and a second hospital report did not clearly address the identification error.
The case has been adjourned to April. Records show Dr. Fong is still listed as practicing at Raffles Hospital. Authorities have sought comment from the Singapore Medical Council.
Under Singapore law, causing death by a negligent act carries a penalty of up to two years in jail, a fine, or both.
