Doctor felt threat from junior colleague
Linda Coate has given evidence in a Medical Council fitness to practice inquiry into Saqib Ahmed.
He faces eight allegations of professional misconduct and/or poor professional performance arising from his period at the hospital between July and November 2012, when he was placed on administrative leave.
He denies all of the eight allegations against him, which include that he used his thumbnail to mark a patient’s skin for surgery and he responded in an aggressive and angry manner to at least three of his senior colleagues.
The inquiry has heard that, in a letter Dr Ahmed wrote in response to the allegations, he claimed he was a victim of racism.
Dr Coate gave evidence that she was on the panel which interviewed Dr Ahmed. She said he performed an excellent interview and that the panel was impressed. “He seemed bright and really wanted the job,” she said.
Dr Coate said that, in August 2012, staff nurse Susan Nagle asked her if she would review a patient under Dr Ahmed’s care.
Dr Coate said Ms Nagle was concerned the patient was critically ill and that Dr Ahmed did not grasp this.
When she went to the ward, Dr Coate said Dr Ahmed was not there and had “left the patient”, something which she said should not have happened.
She said Dr Ahmed had arranged for the patient to be transferred for an X-ray, something she said was entirely inappropriate because of her condition.
Dr Coate said she went to find Dr Ahmed and discovered him in the doctors’ office reading a book. When she asked him about his patient management plan, he became defensive.
“I was quite threatened,” said Dr Coates. “He jumped up to stand and was just speaking over me in a very aggressive fashion, clearly not listening to anything I had to say. He clearly wasn’t listening, so I left him there and went back to the patient.”
The inquiry heard that, on October 20, Dr Ahmed failed to respond to as many as eight phone calls to come to the ward to review his patients. Dr Coate said Dr Ahmed was at least four hours late when he did arrive at the ward.
When she challenged him on the matter and told him there could be consequences, she said Dr Ahmed replied: “‘And there will be a consequence for you too,” which Dr Coate said she took as a threat.
In September 2012, Dr Coate received a phone call from a colleague who she said was upset following an exchange with Dr Ahmed.
She said the doctor in question believed Dr Ahmed had not observed proper hygiene protocols when he embedded his fingernail into the area to mark the spot on a patient’s back where a lumbar puncture was to be performed.
Dr Coate explained that patients with cancer need to have the procedure performed in an aspectic environment as bacteria introduced into the patient might have fatal consequences.
Despite being shown to use a pen to mark the area, Dr Ahmed persisted to use his fingernail, Dr Coates said.
The case will continue when the hearing resumes later today.
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