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The junior doctor who made spurious accusations of
harassment against leading heart specialist, Dr Raj
Mattu, has now left the employment of Walsgrave Hospital
amidst further controversy. His departure is surrounded
by revelations of his allegedly using a fraudulent
curriculum vitae to attain a post at another UK heart
centre, Cardiff. The Junior Doctor, Dr S Gieowarsingh,
was failing in his research, and last year declared his
intention to leave. He surprised colleagues, just days
before his departure from the hospital, by making his
unproven allegations against his supervisor, Dr Mattu who
had spoken out for improvements in patient care.
On 21st February 2002, Dr Mattu was suspended within 48
hours of receipt of Dr Gieowarsingh’s complaint, and
remained the subject of an internal hospital inquiry. Dr
Mattu had been critical of the Trust about delivery of
safe patient care, and since 1999 highlighted the risks
of placing 5 patients in 4 bedded bays, identifying two
patients who had died under those circumstances. After
strong criticism of the Trust by the Commission for
Health improvement about this dangerous practice, the
Trust was eventually forced to stop this overcrowding in
August 2001.
On
October 4th 2001, Dr Mattu challenged the Former
Chairman, Gary Reay, and subsequently the Chief
Executive, David Loughton, about knowingly misleading the
Coventry public and the Regional Health Authority about
deaths of patients placed in overcrowded bays.
Dr
Mattu was upset by their protracted failure to respond to
serious concerns raised about patient safety by senior
doctors, and their apparent attempts to conceal any
knowledge of these dangers and patient deaths. Dr Mattu
had previously lodged a formal grievance about his own
victimisation and bullying by Senior Trust Managers, but
they walked out of their own Trust inquiry, on 21st
September 2001, because they refused to be cross-examined.
To this date, the Trust has not investigated Dr Mattu’s
grievance.
This
situation has caused many senior consultants to raise
concerns about the circumstances surrounding Dr Mattu’s
suspension, and call for an urgent public inquiry into
the management of the trust. They are particularly
worried as Mr Loughton openly declared on May 25th, and
June 1st 2001 that he wanted to get rid of Dr Mattu.
The Trust Management justified the suspension of Dr Mattu
claiming it was in order to protect the junior doctor
whilst the investigation was on-going. Many consultants
and the community now question the motives behind the
protracted suspension, since the junior doctor is no
longer with the trust.
April 2002
