"While dictators rage and statesmen talk, all Europe dances — to The Lambeth Walk."

Friday 19 June 2009

Doctor Sacked for Incompetence Wants Compensation


The Great Ormond Street doctor who failed to conduct a full medical examination of 'Baby P' and therefore did not spot his broken back is demanding compensation for her dismissal.

The child could be alive today if Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat had done her job - but she failed to examine him properly because he was 'miserable and cranky'.

Two days later he was dead, the victim of a systematic and vile campaign of abuse by his mother and her boyfriend, which a range of professionals, including Al-Zayyat, failed to spot and could have prevented from reaching its tragic conclusion.

From the Mail:

Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat, a paediatric consultant who was the first person sacked in the wake of the scandal, has launched legal action against the hospital following her dismissal nine months after Baby Peter's death.

The 17-month-old could be alive today but Dr Al-Zayyat decided against conducting a full medical examination two days before he died in August 2007 because he was 'miserable and cranky'.

A source close to the case told the London Evening Standard that Dr Al-Zayyat, who lives in Ilford, had launched legal action for unfair dismissal.

The claim could be worth a six-figure sum, the minimum which would be £100,000.

The action will spark anger that a doctor roundly blamed for her part in Baby P's death should seek compensation.

Sharon Shoesmith, who was head of children's services at Haringey, caused outrage when she sued the council for unfair dismissal.

It is understood Dr Al-Zayyat, who trained in Pakistan and Ireland, will argue she has been made a scapegoat for wider failures.

She was employed on a rolling six-month contract by Great Ormond Street on a salary of more than £75,000.

The world-famous children's hospital runs the child development centre at St Ann's Hospital in Tottenham, where Baby P was brought shortly before his death.

Dr Al-Zayyat is expected to claim she was never shown the child's full medical history and so didn't realise he was the long-term victim of abuse.

A Great Ormond Street spokesman said: 'We can confirm we have received notice of legal action. The trust will vigorously defend its position.

'We believe we acted fairly and in the interests of patients. Detailed rebuttal of Dr Al-Zayyat's claims will have to wait for any hearing.'

The spokesman added: 'We didn't scapegoat her. The case surrounds her dismissal from GOSH following the decision not to renew her fixed-term contract. The trust denies that the issue in the case is systematic failures.

'Even a junior doctor should have recognised the risks in a situation where there was a letter on file clearly stating that there were child protection concerns, and the child had visible bruises.

'This should have prompted any doctor to contact the social worker. It is also basic training to strip a child in order to carry out a full investigation.

'Two serious case reviews have questioned her practice.'

A source told the Evening Standard: 'Dr Al-Zayyat is claiming Great Ormond Street unfairly ended the contract and she is entitled to damages because of that.'

Baby P's body was found in a blood-spattered cot at his Tottenham home.

8 comments:

Solkhar said...

so this item was put out of respect and horror to the event?

I doubt it - considering the line of the vast majority of your postings, it was done because the doctor happened to be a Muslim and her photo shows a hijab.

After 9/11 the then NY Governor said on David Letterman that anyone capitalizing on the misery of others are a scum and a low-life.

There's your sign!

Solkhar

solkhar.blogspot.com your in it.

The 1st Earl of Cromer said...

Solkhar:

Your comments are ignorant beyond belief. This doctor was incompetent, and that is a perfectly worthy reason to post this story. If she had done the job for which was handsomely paid, this child might still be alive.

The fact she was trained in the Third World is relevant, I feel; we have a lot of cases of incompetence from such doctors - Third World staff, Third World service.

But, obviously, I have ignored 'hundreds of thousands' of such cases from English doctors this week alone to disparage this poor benighted Muslim woman who was just trying to pocket her £75,000 for as little work as possible.

As for your blog, I must thank you for the free publicity, and ask - since you're so attached to freedom of expression - when you will allow comments on it?

Could it be that you are afraid of opposing viewpoints, and thus regularly smear your opponents as 'scum' who must be silenced and baffle them with repeated, barely comprehensible posts?

Surely not...

Solkhar said...

No,

it is quite obvious that your only issue is not the life of the child, but your capitalizing on this tragedy simply because that doctor (obviously incompentant) happens to be a Muslim. That it is for any other reason does not stick considering that probablyl 99 per cent of your articles are about Muslims.

It should also be pointed out that if you are so concerned about "third world qualifications" that are not sufficient, then how is the person registered in the west? In this doctor's case, I note that she was also trained in Ireland, certainly you do not think that sub-standard do you?

My blog makes it clear that it is my own words, I do not make it out that commentary is allowed and then chose to eliminate those that I do not like, such as you have done.

I even doubt that you will allow this item to stay, but then if you cut it, I will repost it on my own blog and point out that you have chopped them like before.

Publicity, I would rather call it scorn.

WAKE UP said...

Solkhar and ....... (whoever you are), I invite you consider what would have happened if the child had been Muslim and the doctor English. There would have been the usual bloody Muslim rioting in the streets.

Instead, with typical British propriety, this doctor has been treated courteously, but firmly, in the proper manner - despite reasonable doubts as to the provenance of her medical training. You should try minding your manners to the same degree.

The 1st Earl of Cromer said...

Solkhar, I've made it quite clear you are not welcome here.

This is not because you disagree with me, it's because of your attitude and your rather 'Islamic' approach to debating - everyone else is supposed to give and concede, whilst you give nothing and try to shout people down.

Write what you like on your own blog; frankly I find it depressing and a little creepy that the fact someone dares to hold a different world view riles you so much, and you have the held the grudge this long.

Solkhar said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
The 1st Earl of Cromer said...

Solkhar:

No more. The name calling stops now. If you want to shout nonsense about 'bigots', go and do it somewhere else.

You might like to try a Muslim forum - you'll be in good company there.

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