Husband claims doctor told patient: ‘I’m sorry, I poisoned you’

The husband of an RTÉ producer who was subjected to an overdose of chemotherapy medication has told a Medical Council fitness-to-practice hearing his wife's doctor had quipped: "I'm sorry, Sinéad, I poisoned you".

Eddie Johnson, husband of the late Sinéad Ní Dhulaing Johnson, said Dr A made the remark in his wife's isolation room at the Beacon Hospital, Dublin.

Eileen Barrington SC, for Dr A, said her client would deny the remark was made. She said Dr A would never make a quip about poisoning patients or use the word poison as part of a conversation about chemotherapy.

Dr A is facing allegations of poor professional performance and or professional misconduct.

It is alleged the consultant oncologist prescribed an incorrect dose of chemotherapy drug Temozolomide to Ms Ní Dhulaing Johnson, on August 13th, 2008.

Ms Ní Dhulaing Johnson, who died from a brain tumour in 2010, was allegedly given more than twice the correct dose, which she took for 16 days in August and September 2008, before the error was discovered.

It is also claimed Dr A failed to disclose in a timely manner to Ms Ní Dhulaing Johnson and Mr Johnsonthat the incorrect dose had been prescribed.

On Friday, Ms Barrington said Mr Johnson would “make any complaint against Dr A and did so”.

She said he made a “panoply of allegations” in his complaint to the Medical Council and she described some as “fanciful or trivial”.

These included that his wife could smell tobacco smoke in her room from people smoking outside. Ms Barrington asked Mr Johnson if he thought it was the responsibility of a medical oncologist to ensure his wife’s room was tobacco-free.

Mr Johnson said it had been important to his wife. She was confined in isolation and she wasn’t responsible for her environment, he said.

Ms Barrington also accused Mr Johnson of “not having his facts right”.

She said Mr Johnson made his complaint four and a half years after the event, and showed “a complete misunderstanding” of medication dosages.

She suggested parts of the complaint were misleading and allegations that the incorrect dosage was five times what it should have been were incorrect. Mr Johnson had also accused Dr A of lying to another doctor in a letter about his wife’s treatment.

“You were wrong?” Ms Barrington said.

Mr Johnson said he accepted that and had said that because he didn’t understand how dosages were calculated.

Ms Barrington suggested he should have known, because by that stage, he had been involved in a civil action at the High Court and had made a complaint to gardaí.

She also said as soon as it was clear the incorrect prescription had been given, on September 5th, 2008, Dr A told the couple the mistake was acknowledged and Dr A “took responsibility on the chin”.

Mr Johnson said if that had been said on September 5th, he would have remembered. He said he was not told until September 19th.

Ms Barrington suggested he may have been “mixed up” and had “misunderstood” in the same way he misunderstood the dosage calculations.

Mr Johnson denied that. He also denied that another specialist had discussions with him and his wife about the chemotherapy medication overdose on September 10th.

The case will continue on Monday.