Lancet is calling for GMC resignations

14 April 2018 editorial, Lancet is calling for resignation of Council Chair Terence Stephenson and Chief Executive Charlie Massey over Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba GMC appeal.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)30838-9/fulltext

Sir Stephenson completes his four year fixed term end of this year and GMC are currently recruiting for his replacement.

https://twitter.com/user/status/984689927823687680

 

Because I don't know the details of the case nor the difficulties being faced by the NHS, I would be interested in knowing what others in Britain/UK think about this case. There is a Tweet showing that the doctor was not given an X-ray in a timely fashion nor was the Rx administered immediately. Although if I was the doctor I would have ordered it to be administered IMMEDIATELY.

I can only go by how I feel about Richard Horton and his continued support of an unethical trial.

 

there is an interesting article about this case on pub med . I think the management at the hospital are the people at fault for multiple system failures unfortunately it is always junior staff members being thrown to the wolves.

 

I think the Abx were prescribed when the chest x-ray was reviewed, but not administered until an hour later. Enalapril was supposed to be withheld but the mother administered it in good faith and this wasn't known to Bawa-Garba at that time. I think there were also significant delays in both the chest x-ray coming available, as you point out, and blood tests. It was her first shift in an acute ward setting after returning from maternity leave and this was at a new Trust where she was orienting herself.

There is a lot of feeling from the medical community, particularly among junior doctors that systemic failures including understaffing and IT system problems affecting availability of results were largely responsible or at a minimum significantly conducive to the events that transpired; there but for the grace of God go I. And seems to be a reasonable amount of public sympathy for this position and understanding, though opposing views are represented in the media as well.

I'm sure I'm missing a lot of key detail, but the CA decision is available on BAILII if you're interested and there are some timelines online. The GMC produced a response including factsheet to mounting criticism of its pursuit to strike BG off the medical register, and in fact.. yes this links to the CA decision and the GMC High Court appeal decision. The GMC justifies its actions as preventing reduction of public confidence in the profession whereby doctors with gross negligence manslaughter convictions may be allowed to continue to practice medicine.

https://www.gmc-uk.org/news/news-archive/responding-to-the-case-of-dr-bawa-garba

I understand BG may be appealing the ruling and the possibly the manslaughter conviction.

It is nonetheless somewhat difficult to understand the Lancet injecting itself in this manner.

 

That's what I was thinking. I can't imagine the Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine sticking his nose into a case like this. The current President of the US? Oh, sure. He would.

 

American politics have focussed on the pit falls of the british nhs for some time to prevent Obama care and other national health type systems being funded in the usa. insurance industry lobbying and the far right do not want taxpayer funding for even basic healthcare. hope that explains why the lancet editor has shown an interest.

 

No. It doesn't. Especially since it seems the fault lies in the fact that NHS is having staffing and IT problems and this case and its very bad outcome should not be taken out on the doctor.

Do I think everyone should have healthcare? YES! Am I impressed with the NHS? Not really.

 

From what I have read and heard, junior and not so junior doctors feel very strongly about this case. I think they have or are proposing to crowdfund to pay legal fees for Dr BG.

I think she was a paediatrician covering A and E as well as a paediatric ward and on her first shift, alone and totally understaffed, after maternity leave. There were mistakes made but she and a nurse were blamed.

Why Horton would get involved I don't know unless the strength of the doctors' views is important to him. The strength of patients' views certainly isn't.