Poctor censured tor misconduct

Press, 22 October 1984, Page 7

Poctor censured tor misconduct

PA;. Wellington A; specialist who failed to tell; a woman that he had removed her ovaries has been found guilty by the Medical Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee of professional misconduct.

The doctor, identified as Dr X, should have informed the;, woman or her general practitioner of the operation and; the need to have hormone replacement treatment, the committee said in a report in the “Medical Journal.” It censured him, and ordered him to pay costs of $3500. The doctor was also charged costs relating to an unsuccessful appeal to the Medical Coun-

The committee said the woman encountered serious complications during a

caesarean birth, and Dr X decided, correctly, to perform a hysterectomy. This included the removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes, "a very rare occurrence.” “Such an unusual event required thorough discussion with the patient, reporting to the general practitioner, as well, as the fullest recording in the hospital notes,” said the committee

Yet the ovaries removal was only briefly mentioned in the hospital notes.

The committee said it did not accept Dr X’s evidence that he fully explained to the patient and her family doctor the operation and its consequences . . . “but the committee was reluctant to express a view that a senior consultant would deliberately intend to mislead it”.