Doctor ‘tried to read x-ray upside down’
Dr Vincent Osunkwo is also accused of telling a colleague that scans performed on a patient’s kidneys were “fine,” when they showed multiple, abnormal masses.
But an inquiry into Dr Osunkwo’s treatment of patients at the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise was adjourned yesterday due to his failure to attend.
A barrister representing the CEO of the Medical Council, who is taking the case against Dr Osunkwo, told the inquiry that he has returned to his native Nigeria.
In a letter, Dr Osunkwo told council solicitors that he had been refused entry to Ireland on four occasions and so was unable to defend himself.
Solicitor Barry Fagan of McDowell Purcell Solicitors gave evidence that the last contact Dr Osunkwo made was in Jul 2013 and since that date he has failed to reply to correspondence.
Dr Osunkwo faces 13 allegations of poor professional practice and/or professional misconduct arising from his treatment of patients.
These include that he asked a nurse whether a patient’s pulse reading of 165 beats per minute was high, that he was unable to identify the nasal bone in an x-ray when asked to do so, and that he informed a member of his team that a patient had a benign prostate condition when this was not the case.
The inquiry heard that Dr Osunkwo had been a qualified doctor for 10 years and had previously worked in Crumlin Children’s Hospital before commencing work as a senior house officer in Portlaoise on Feb 18, 2009.
Yesterday’s hearing was adjourned to a yet to be decided date following consultations between the fitness to practise committee members and the committee’s legal assessor.
Chairperson Declan Carey said the committee was concerned about attempts by Dr Osunkwo to get a visa for Ireland and whether it could be established that he had made these attempts.
He also stated that the committee felt video conferencing was not offered to Dr Osunkwo.
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