A Bradford hospital consultant jailed for two years after his gross negligence led to the death of a mother-of-two has now been suspended from the medical register for 12 months.
Consultant urologist Sudhanshu Garg, 44, of Cottingley, will also have to undergo a review at the end of that time before he can be allowed to practice again, it has been ruled.
A Fit To Practice panel at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester this week took into account evidence that Garg had been a good doctor with a previously excellent record and he had shown remorse.
Lisa Quinn, 37, died at Bradford Royal Infirmary on August 25, 2008, three days after she went into the accident and emergency department suffering from a kidney infection.
Her condition had deteriorated, but she was not given a crucial ultra-sound scan until two days after she arrived at the hospital and then Garg, who was lead clinician in her case, had missed vital opportunities to properly investigate what was developing into a life-threatening infection and blockage. He had also missed a chance for her to be transferred for emergency treatment at a hospital in Leeds. She eventually got the nephrostomy treatment she needed, but died soon after.
Last year at Leeds Crown Court, Garg admitted gross negligence manslaughter and that he had falsified Mrs Quinn’s medical records in an attempt to cover his failures.
The Fit To Practice panel acknowledged Garg’s failings had been confined to a single case, but its chairman Dr Anthony Morgan told him: “Your failings were undoubtedly a serious departure from the standards expected of a registered practitioner for which any less a sanction than suspension would be inappropriate and inadequate in terms of upholding the public interest.
“You have expressed remorse and accepted full responsibility for your actions – as well as those of junior colleagues – which is to your credit. You appear to have learned a salutary lesson from these sad events.”
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