Doctor was unaware of child abuse protocol, inquiry hears

A doctor appeared to be unaware of basic protocols regarding cases of suspected child abuse, a disciplinary inquiry heard on Wednesday.

Dr Omar Hassan Khalafalla Mohamed, who is before a Medical Council fitness-to-practise inquiry, also allegedly failed to assist in the resuscitation of an elderly patient who was vomiting blood.

Dr Hassan was employed as an orthopaedic senior house officer at University Hospital Galway from January 13th, 2014, for six months.

However, he was placed on administrative leave on February 21st, 2014, due to the concerns of a number of colleagues regarding patient safety.

Orthopaedic consultant Mutaz Jadaan, who worked with Dr Hassan in University Hospital Galway in early 2014, said that on one occasion Dr Hassan seemingly left a child with a single-arm fracture in A&E for two to three hours.

When Dr Jadaan learned of the delay, he told Dr Hassan of the importance of assessing children straight away, so that non-accidental injuries (NAI) can be ruled out.

Dr Jadaan said that NAIs are a symptom of possible child abuse, and that immediate assessment is especially important when a child presents with a single fracture.

Dr Jadaan told the inquiry Dr Hassan said that dealing with issues of potential child abuse was a matter for the paediatric team, and not for orthopaedic surgeons.

“He had no knowledge of the importance of ruling [NAIs] out,” Dr Jadaan told the inquiry, which began last week.

Dr Jadaan said that early on in a doctor’s training “it is drilled into you” that when dealing with children, a doctor needs to rule out NAIs.

Addressing Dr Hassan, Dr Jadaan said: “You showed complete lack of knowledge about NAIs or implications of NAIs.”

Dr Jadaan said he would be very worried if a senior house officerwas not aware of the importance of such issues, as the implications of missing a child’s non-accidental injury can be “catastrophic”.

Vomiting blood

On Wednesday, the inquiry also began to examine Dr Hassan’s time at Mayo General Hospital, where he was hired as a senior house officer for a six-week period from November 2013 until January 2014.

Dr Hassan was removed from his on-call duties at the beginning of December 2013 after his alleged lack of assistance in the resuscitation of an elderly patient who experienced an upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage and was vomiting and passing blood.

Consultant surgeon Kevin Barry, who works at Mayo General Hospital, told the inquiry that a patient suffering from an upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage is a “basic medical scenario” that a senior house officer should know how to manage.

Dr Hassan told the inquiry he was involved in the care of the patient, and queried why he had been taken off-call before he was given the chance to express his version of events.

“I think it was an unfair decision,” he said.

Dr Hassan faces a number of allegations relating to time he spent working at the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise, Mayo General Hospital and University Hospital Galway.

Dr Hassan denies the allegations.