Paediatrician banned over misleading child cancer fears

An NHS paediatrician who suggested children may be suffering from cancer in order to get parents to pay for private treatment has been banned from practicing medicine.

 

A misconduct hearing ruled Dr Mina Chowdhury informed parents their children had potentially cancerous conditions without performing a proper investigation.  Families were then urged to pay for further “unnecessary” private diagnoses.

 

Dr Chowdhury will now be removed from the medical register, meaning he will no longer be able to practice as a paediatrician.

 

Dr Chowdhury worked for NHS Forth Valley but the allegations relate to his work in a private clinic in Glasgow.

 

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service misconduct hearing ruled that Dr Chowdhury had “failed to provide good clinical care” to three patients, which included diagnosing “cancerous conditions without proper investigation”.

 

The tribunal also concluded Dr Chowdhury attempted to persuade parents “to pay for unnecessary tests in relation to unwarranted cancer diagnoses”.

 

In its ruling, the tribunal stated that this was a case “where there has been persistent dishonesty in a number of areas which Dr Chowdhury has not fully acknowledged nor fully admitted”, adding that “only a sanction of erasure (from the medical register) was sufficient to protect, promote and maintain the health, safety and wellbeing of the public.”

 

Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist team of clinical negligence lawyers have years of experience in medical negligence claims, providing support and guidance after life-changing events.  Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, but because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.

 

If you believe that you or a relative may have been injured as a result of clinical/medical negligence, please call for free legal advice from our medical negligence solicitors on the freephone number below.

 

Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

 

Freephone : 0800 304 7382