James Olobo-Lalobo
Horrifying examples of malpractice
A surgeon contracted by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) who exposed patients to the risk of life threatening conditions during abortions has been struck off the medical register, the British Medical Journal reports.
James Olobo-Lalobo was found by a medical practitioners tribunal to have endangered at least three women's lives during abortions carried out in May and June 2017.
Failed to diagnose dangerous tumours
In the case of "Patient A," a 44 year old woman whom Olobo-Lalobo saw at Merseyside BPAS for a vacuum aspiration abortion, he failed to diagnose a molar pregnancy even though it had been suggested by the ultrasonographer. He then failed to initiate the follow-up care that is essential with molar pregnancies, and, on the woman calling to ask the clinic why she had not been followed up, other staff found he had not sent the pregnancy remains for analysis. She was then diagnosed with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (cancerous tumours in the uterus) and is still undergoing chemotherapy.
"Exposed the patient to the risk of serious and potentially life -threatening infection."
In another case, Mr Olobo-Lalobo was supposed to have performed a dilatation and evacuation abortion, followed by insertion of a Mirena contraceptive device. However, "the next day the patient presented at a hospital emergency department having just delivered a formed fetus". The GMC’s expert witness found that he could not have performed both surgeries in the five minutes operating time. Going into horrifying detail, the report continues: "Moreover, the degree of dilatation recorded in Olobo-Lalobo’s notes, 9 mm, was too small to remove fetal parts or even insert the necessary instruments, he said, and the surgeon had exposed the patient to the risk of serious and potentially life -threatening infection."
A third patient also delivered a dead baby after Mr Olobo-Lalobo had ostensibly terminated her pregnancy.
Unrepentant
Mr Olobo-Lalobo, who qualified in Uganda in 1973, did not attend the hearing but made an unsuccessful request for adjournment after failing to respond to emails and letters for several months.
Rachel Wedderspoon, chairing the tribunal, said that there were no mitigating circumstances in the case but "several aggravating factors, including a lack of evidence of insight or remediation, a failure to collaborate with colleagues, and a lack of engagement with the regulatory process."
"There is no evidence that Dr Olobo-Lalobo would usefully use a period of suspension to reflect and remediate, as there has been no evidence of this to date," said Ms Wedderspoon, She directed that his name be erased from the medical register, which will take effect after 28 days unless he appeals.
Another example of BPAS endangering women
This is not the first time the Merseyside BPAS clinic has been found to have endangered women's lives. Last year, the Care Quality Commission released a damning report highlighting a catalogue of safety issues, including infection control procedures not being followed, no effective systems being in place to ensure resuscitation equipment was regularly checked to protect patients from avoidable harm, and incidents not being properly investigated.
The service itself reported to the CQC that 11 women were transferred for emergency hospital treatment after suffering serious injuries between January 2013 - March 2016, including eight cases in a 15 month period from January 2015 - March 2016.
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