Doctor guilty of professional misconduct rejects findings

The doctor who this week was found guilty of poor professional performance and professional misconduct has rejected the findings of the fitness-to-practise inquiry.

Dr Omar Hassan Khalafalla Mohamed faced a series of allegations relating to time he spent working at the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise, Mayo General Hospital and University Hospital Galway.

He was found guilty of 28 counts of poor professional performance and six counts of professional misconduct on Tuesday.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1, Dr Hassan said he never caused any patient harm: “I didn’t cause grave harm or any patient deaths.”

The inquiry, held over 11 days, heard a number of former colleagues express grave concern regarding Dr Hassan’s clinical abilities.

Colleagues

Consultant Odhran Murray, who worked with Dr Hassan in Galway, previously told the inquiry of an instance in which the doctor mistook an X-ray of an ankle for an image of an elbow during a training session with colleagues.

Speaking on Liveline, he said it was a “teaching meeting – in a teaching environment. It’s a chance for people to make mistakes and learn more.”

When pressed did he remember the incident and did he remember making the mistake, he replied that he did not “recall that incident clearly. We are in training sessions all the time.”

Sanctions against Dr Hassan (30) will be determined at a later date but his medical registration has already been suspended.

He said he had worked as a doctor outside of Ireland, but refused to say where. "I keep it private."

Originally from Sudan, he also refused to say whether he intended to remain in Ireland.