Fitness inquiry into doctor who allegedly left her post adjourned

A Medical Council fitness to practise inquiry has been adjourned after a solicitor for the doctor involved had difficulty communicating with the committee by phone line from Nigeria.

The committee had been due to hear final submissions in the case of a junior doctor who allegedly left her post at St James’s Hospital in Dublin on November 23rd, 2014 without telling anyone.

Dr Ogechi Chuku faces three allegations of professional misconduct after she allegedly left her post at St James's Hospital, at 11 am on Sunday, November 23rd, 2014.

Dr Chuku has given evidence that she could not find a doctor or nurse during a 15-minute search of a Dublin hospital’s emergency department, to tell them she was too ill to keep working.

She told the committee she had been feeling so ill she thought she might pass out, had searched for someone to tell but could not see anyone.

She said she wrote “doctor unwell” on her patient’s notes and made it back to her apartment. She said she thought she had left the notes at the nurses’ station but they were subsequently found on a security man’s chair.

The committee heard, during cross examination by Donogh Hardiman for the Medical Council, that Dr Chuku did not call Dr Una Kennedy, emergency medicine consulate at the hospital, until December 2nd – nine days later. Dr Kennedy had tried calling her twice.

The committee had adjourned on July 16th and was due to take final submissions from Mr Hardiman and from Dr Chuku’s solicitor Collins Adele, who gave evidence on the last occasion via Skype from Nigeria.

However, when the committee contacted the solicitor on Wednesday evening he indicated he had a problem communicating by telephone and that his Skype technician was unavailable due to a delay in starting the proceedings.

He said he was “tired” and had been in court on Tuesday and was also due in court on Wednesday. The solicitor also indicated he had a problem communicating over the phone as he had difficulty holding it to his ear.

Committee chair Mary Duff adjourned twice to allow the committee consider the solicitor's difficulties.

She said that out of concern for Dr Chuku, the committee had hoped to conclude the hearing Wenesday so that she would have an outcome that could go before the Medical Council.

She proposed that both parties would make written submissions and that the committee would consider those in September. Mr Hardiman agreed to the proposal and Dr Chuku’s solicitor also agreed to make a written submission.

Ms Duff said the committee would expect to have the final submissions concluded by August 17th and the committee would not extend the date again.

Giving evidence via Skype from the US on the last occasion, Dr Chuku, said she had lain in her bed for two days, her phone had been on silent on and she did not use voice mail. She did email Dr Kennedy on 25th November, telling her she could not be reached by phone and asking her to sign her time-sheet so she could be paid.

She said she had not been able to buy phone credit until December 2nd as she had difficulty with her ATM card and did not have any money. She also said she did not think her health problems would be of interest to anyone in the hospital.

“I had to look after myself. I couldn’t see how that was going to change. It was something I had grown accustomed to,” she said.