In an attempt to conceal their error, the physician attempted to cover up their mistake by deleting medical records. Consequently, the doctor is prohibited from working for a duration of three months.
Dr Victor Ebenuwa, who works at the Margaret Thompson Medical Centre in Speke, made a mistake when diagnosing a patient’s condition and giving them medication, as stated in a hearing held by a medical practitioners tribunal.
He made a mistake by reading the blood test results wrongly and gave the wrong treatment for a thyroid problem.
He said he was sorry when his mistakes were discovered.
The hearing learned that when Dr. Ebenuwa discovered his error, he deleted records and altered data to make it look like the medication he had prescribed was already a part of the man’s medical history.
The court was informed that in March 2021, a man called Patient A had a meeting with Dr. Ebenuwa and was told to get some tests done.
The doctor then prescribed medicine to Patient A to treat their thyroid problem.
He understood he was wrong one month later, when the man went to Whiston Hospital because he had a heart attack.
Dr Ebenuwa changed the information about Patient A and erased the records of their phone conversation.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he never told Patient A to stop taking the medication or told them about the mistakes he had made.
The person had another heart attack and passed away in July 2021. It was not believed that Dr. Ebenuwa directly caused the person’s death.
Dr Ebenuwa graduated from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, in 1989.
He became a Family Physician in 2000 and worked as a GP and trainer in Nigeria. In 2003, he moved to the UK.
‘Feeling embarrassed and self-conscious; influenced by a sense of shame. ‘
Dr Ebenuwa started working at the Margaret Thompson Medical Centre in 2006, and after four years, he became a partner.
During the hearing, it was mentioned that Patient A’s daughter asked for her father’s medical records from the clinic after he passed away.
In February 2022, she, practice officials, and Dr. Ebenuwa had a meeting. During the meeting, Dr. Ebenuwa admitted that he had misunderstood the first test results.
The lawyer for the General Medical Council said that if Patient A’s daughter hadn’t asked for the records, nobody would have found out about Dr Ebenuwa’s actions.
People said that Dr. Ebenuwa made choices to hide his mistake and he admitted to being dishonest.
During the hearing, it was explained that the doctor’s actions were not typical of his usual behavior. The doctor’s decision to delete records was a result of feeling scared and embarrassed.
They said the doctor ignored problems and pretended everything was fine.
He said sorry and felt bad when his mistakes were discovered.
The group of people agreed that Dr. Ebenuwa was not a danger to the public.
Date:
GP terminated after modifying records to conceal an error in Speke
