From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal (MDPDT) will, today, begin trial of 19 medical doctors who were alleged to had been involved in professional misconduct and other related offences.
The tribunal is made up of senior members of medical and dental professionals led by the Chairman, Prof. Abba Waziri, who assured the doctors that the tribunal was neither out to witch-hunt nor ridicule anybody’s carrier, but to give opportunity to the accused persons to explain themselves, thus, giving the tribunal bases for judgement.
The sitting of the disciplinary committee, which is scheduled to hold at Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) headquarters in Abuja, will last till Thursday, when judgements would be delivered on some concluded cases, while others would be adjourned to another date.
The doctors’ invitation to the sitting was based on reports and petitions against them by some unsatisfied patients or concerned party regarding their professional engagements, thus, demanding a deeper look into the matter by the MDCN.
Some of the doctors are appearing before the disciplinary tribunal for the first time after their alleged professional misconduct was reported to the MDCN for disciplinary action, while some others are “carry over” cases from previous sittings of the tribunal that are awaiting judgment or conclusion.
A senior official of MDCN, who pleaded anonymity, expressed fear that the alleged offences committed by some of the doctors could lead to outright withdrawal of their practicing licences and de-registration of their name from MDCN register.
For instance, at the last sitting of the tribunal in August, two doctors, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Adeshina Jenrola, and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Dr. Silas Ochejele, were arraigned before for gross professional misconduct that led to the amputation of an arm of a patient, Rebecca Olatunbuson.
Prosecuting counsel, Sunusi Musa, told journalists that preliminary findings revealed that the incident happened when Consultant Gynecologist, Dr. Ochejele, engaged in blood transfusion to enable him conduct the surgery, but could not complete the process, instead, he invited the Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Jenrola, to assist, which both of them could not handle, thus, resulting in gangrene which led to the amputation of the arm.