Doctor found guilty of professional misconduct

A doctor who failed to reveal key information to the Medical Council was on Wednesday found guilty of professional misconduct on three counts.

Dr Gregory Lowe, who is based in Toronto, was also found to be in contravention of part of the Medical Practioner’s Act 2007 at the disciplinary inquiry in Dublin.

The inquiry heard that Dr Lowe failed to tell the Irish Medical Council that he was the subject of a disciplinary process in Canada or that he had given an undertaking regarding his right to practice when applying to renew his registration in Ireland.

He also failed to properly notify the Medical Council that in November 2014, his registration with the regulatory body in Ontario, Canada, was suspended for a time.

Dr Lowe, who was not present, qualified as a doctor in Ireland in 1990 and moved to Canada in 2009.

The inquiry heard that concerns were raised regarding Dr Lowe’s communication skills in 2011, while in Canada. He was requested to complete a course in communications and in November 2012 gave an undertaking to the regulatory body in Ontario that he would do so.

Censured

However, Dr Lowe, originally from Trinidad, failed to complete part of this programme. Because of this, his certificate of registration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario was suspended in November 2014.

He subsequently co-operated with the college, was censured, and now practices in Ontario.

In June 2013, Dr Lowe applied to renew his registration in Ireland. When asked on the application form whether he had given an undertaking regarding his entitlement to practice, he replied No.

When he applied for renewal of his registration in June 2014, he also answered No to a question asking him whether any disciplinary process had commenced against him.

An employee from the medical regulatory body in Canada told the inquiry via Skype that a disciplinary committee ruled in April 2015 that Dr Lowe had committed an act of professional misconduct, in that he had engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct.

Dr Lowe admitted that he breached the undertaking he had entered into with the regulatory body in November 2012.

He was subsequently restored to the medical register in Ontario and is also registered in Ireland.

“Full and frank disclosure” by doctors from abroad applying for registration to the Medical Council of Ireland “is of the utmost importance”, Eoghan O’Sullivan, legal counsel for the Medical Council, told the inquiry.