Doctor said twin ‘better off dead’
By Court Reporter
A DOCTOR who made errors resulting in the death of a baby twin told the distraught mother he was better off dead.
At a hearing on Monday the General Medical Council (GMC) heard how Dr Jagdishchandra Patel misinterpreted scans which showed the unborn boy's life was in danger.
Dr Patel, 63, disregarded repeated concerns from colleagues to perform an early delivery after tests showed one of the babies had an abnormal heart rate.
Despite several approaches by worried nurses, Dr Patel, of The Green, Dartford, appeared "convinced" the baby was all right and told the midwife to "shut up".
But after another scan later that day, Dr Patel changed his diagnosis and told the mother he was "very concerned".
First-time mother Elizabeth Watts was 37 weeks' pregnant when her babies were finally delivered by emergency caesarean at Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford, on the evening of October 26, 2002.
A post-mortem examination revealed the stillborn twin, named Alexanderou, died from a lack of oxygen.
Bradley Martin, acting for Miss Watts, said: "There was no apology given for his mistake.
"He made the implication it would have been better for twin two to have died because if he had been born earlier he would have been brain damaged."
Dr Patel later admitted he had "under-assessed the pathological signs" for the baby's condition and said: "Had I done so we may well have saved the second twin."
Mr Martin added: "We submit he (Dr Patel) appears to have lost his objectiveness and failed to listen to the concerns of others."
Miss Watts and her family requested information about an independent inquiry and a post-mortem examination for her baby.
But Dr Patel failed to arrange for the appropriate paperwork to be provided, said Mr Martin.
Dr Patel, who had a previously unblemished career dating back to 1968, could be struck off the medical register if found guilty of serious professional misconduct, which he denies.
The retired doctor is not attending or represented at the hearing, which continues in central London.
9:11am today
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Doctor said twin ‘better off dead’
