Indian-origin doctor suspended in UK for forcefully using forceps to deliver baby
She then 'pressurised' the patient into letting her use the forceps, saying, "You need to let me do this as I don't know what is going to happen to your baby. You are putting your own baby at risk."Forceps are a tong-like medical tool used during childbirth to help gently pull the baby out if the mother has difficulty pushing.The woman begrudgingly agreed to the use of the surgical instrument but shouted, "I hate you, you haven't listened' at Dr Thampi as the forceps were applied," according to the report.She said she was left traumatised by the birth and claimed the forceps caused damage to her baby's head and face.DOCTOR THAMPI FOUND GUILTY OF MISCONDUCT, SUSPENDED BY MEDICAL TRIBUNALAt the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) in Manchester, Dr Thampi was found guilty of serious professional misconduct and was ordered to be suspended from practice for three weeks, The Daily Mail reported.The above-mentioned incident happened in October 2016 when she was working as a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Milton Keynes University Hospital.In a statement, Patient A, who was 41 weeks pregnant and suffers from a neuromuscular condition, said that Dr Thampi came to check on her after she was admitted and suggested the use of forceps, which she said she clearly refused, The Daily Mail reported."She just marched into the room to ask me if I was ready for an instrumental delivery and then marched back out again. Dr Thampi didn't explain what an instrumental delivery would involve, or what the instruments to be used were. I knew about the use of suction and a ventouse, and I verbalised to Dr Thampi that I was against the use of forceps," the woman was quoted as saying by the Tabloid.'I COULD HAVE GONE HOME AND LEFT THIS TO REGISTRAR'advertisement"I was told that I did not want the forceps to be used, and I haven't pushed yet. Miss Thampi then said something I will never forget for the rest of my days, "What you need to understand and appreciate is that I am a consultant, and it is after six o'clock and I could have gone home and left one of my Registrar's to deliver this baby," the woman alleged.The 62-year-old doctor, in a statement, said the patient said she did not want a forceps delivery but only when, in her clinical judgment, it was too late to safely change to a Caesarean section.MPTS Chair Tehniat Watson highlighted serious issues of lack of informed consent and patient pressure, emphasising the need for action to protect public interest."Whilst the conduct involved one patient a significant number of years ago, the failure to obtain informed consent, Patient A being pressurised into agreeing to a forceps delivery, and inappropriate communication were serious matters and action is needed to mark the seriousness to uphold the wider public interest," the Daily Mail quoted Watson as saying.- Ends
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