Doctor guilty of misconduct allowed to practise medicine
The Medical Council had urged the court to attach conditions, including ongoing medical supervision, to any return to work by Dr Victor Moore but Mr Justice Michael Hanna said that, while he believed this was a “most appropriate” case to issue recommendations, he has no power to do so under the Medical Practitioners Act.
There might be a good reason for not empowering a court to make such recommendations, he added.
Mr Justice Hanna yesterday upheld findings by the Medical Council that Dr Moore, of Kilwarlin
Avenue, Hillsborough, Co Down, was guilty of professional misconduct regarding his treatment of three female patients, including a finding that he had wrongly removed the womb of a 71-year-old woman arising from his failure to confirm his incorrect suspicion she had cancer.
The judge overturned a finding of professional misconduct relating to a fourth woman patient who was admitted to Sligo General Hospital in 2004 to deal with an ectopic pregnancy.
Mr Justice Hanna ruled, on the basis of psychiatric evidence from experts for both the Medical Council and Dr Moore, that Dr Moore is now fit to practice medicine.
The Medical Council had deemed Dr Moore unfit to practice by reason of physical and mental disability but Mr Justice Hanna ruled that Dr Moore, who has undergone counselling and treatment over the past two years, is now fit to practice.
In reaching that decision, the judge stressed the question of unfitness to practice has to be decided at the date of hearing of the legal proceedings.
