- Dr. Olusegen Lawrence Olujide had “no excuse” to perform the procedure
- The incident took place at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester
A gynecologist who sterilized a new mother without her consent while she was in the middle of a caesarean section has been suspended for a year.
Dr. Olusegun Lawrence Olujide had 'no excuse' to perform an 'outdated' procedure on the female patient during the birth of her baby at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.
He had not obtained the patient's consent and there was no clinical justification for doing so without consent, a disciplinary hearing was told.
Dr. Olujide also did not inform colleagues that he intended to perform the sterilization and subsequently did not tell the woman that he had done so.
Concerned colleagues raised the alarm about his behavior to bosses, who then took 'immediate action to ensure other patients were not at risk'.
Dr. Olujide no longer works for the hospital.
Dr. Olusegun Lawrence Olujide sterilized a female patient without her consent during the birth of her baby at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester (photo)
He admitted misconduct after the incident on August 6, 2020.
During the hearing, General Medical Council counsel Katie Nowell said the method Dr Olujide used to sterilize the patient, the application of diathermy to the fallopian tubes, is outdated.
She also said he had shown 'limited reflection' after the incident and had failed to pinpoint where exactly he had made the mistake – although she did say he had now apologized to the patient.
The tribunal decided that Dr Olujide's fitness to practice has been affected and the tribunal decided to suspend him from practice for 12 months.
Dr. Olujide requested that the suspension period begin in 28 days so that patients under his care could be transferred to another doctor in a timely and responsive manner.
Ms Nowell added that the GMC was not calling for Dr's immediate suspension. Olujide, but said no complaints regarding his conduct have been received since the incident in August 2020.
The tribunal's chairman, Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, said: “After considering all submissions in this case, we have determined that a 12-month suspension is appropriate.”
A spokesperson for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We would like to express our deepest regrets to the patient affected by Dr Olujide's actions.
'Obtaining patient consent is fundamental to ethical practice, as made clear by the General Medical Council, and to the provision of good care; there is simply no excuse for what happened.
“We are very grateful to colleagues who recognized that Dr. Olujide had performed the procedure without consent and raised the alarm.
'Thanks to them we were able to take immediate action to ensure that other patients were not at risk and we were able to sincerely apologize to the patient and explain what had happened.
'We respect the decision of the General Medical Council and their tribunal's further investigation, and we can confirm that Dr. Olujide will not be recovered by Hampshire Hospitals.
'As patients of Dr. Olujide have any concerns, we invite them to get in touch via our Patient Advice and Liaison Service by emailing [email protected] or on 01256 486766.'