A HOSPITAL patient had teeth knocked out during a kidney operation. Malcolm George s front teeth were shattered when an oxygen tube was inserted into his mouth after he stopped breathing during an operation to remove three kidney stones at Lister. Now he

A HOSPITAL patient had teeth knocked out during a kidney operation.

Malcolm George's front teeth were shattered when an oxygen tube was inserted into his mouth after he stopped breathing during an operation to remove three kidney stones at Lister.

Now he says the hospital is refusing to pick up the £200 bill he paid for private dental care.

The 57-year-old was quoted in a national newspaper as saying: "I know they were trying to save my life but I'm livid the NHS hasn't paid."

A spokesman for The East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, which runs Lister, said: "During his operation, Mr George developed breathing problems that required urgent attention. Sadly, during this process, some of his front teeth were damaged. This is a known complication of most surgery where a patient is anaesthetised fully, which was explained to Mr George as part of the formal consent he gave for his operation to go ahead."

The spokesman said that, while the Trust is sorry for the problems caused to Mr George, it has refused to pay for the dental work Mr George chose to have done privately. At the request of the patient, the Trust is now in the process of reviewing its decision.