A GP who faced several allegations of poor professional performance has been cleared of all but one by a Medical Council fitness-to-practice inquiry today.
Elements of the case against Dr Anthony Enobo Akpekpe (52), from Co Laois, were described by his counsel, Ross Maguire SC, as “desperately unfair and close to scandalous”.
However, Dr Akpekpe, who was working for GP locum service Doctors on Duty in Dublin, was found to have performed poorly by failing to take an adequate medical history of the patient.
He visited Patrick Lowe (74) at his home in Monkstown, Co Dublin, on September 13th, 2010, and diagnosed a tummy bug.
Mr Lowe died two days later. He had cramps and had been vomiting, and an autopsy showed he died as a result of inhaling faecal matter after vomiting as a hernia had obstructed his bowel.
He had been cared for by his sister, Elizabeth Lowe.
Counsel for the Medical Council JP McDowell said Dr Akpekpe had failed to take an adequate medical history of Mr Lowe; had failed to carry out an adequate medical examination; had failed to communicate adequately with Ms Lowe about the need for follow-up treatment or admission to hospital if her brother’s condition did not improve; had provided a different account of his treatment of Mr Lowe to the Medical Council than he had provided earlier to his duty doctor; had failed to keep an adequate record of his attendance with Mr Lowe; had failed to identify himself to Ms Lowe; and had written a prescription without his Medical Council number and with an illegible signature.
In evidence Ms Lowe and Dr Akpekpe differed fundamentally in their recollection of his visit to the Lowe home in 2010.
Ms Lowe said Dr Akpekpe had introduced himself as “Dr John”.
Dr Akpekpe said this was “incorrect”. She said he had not carried out an abdominal examination. He said he had and that his notes made reference to such an examination.
Following evidence from Ms Lowe and Dr Akpekpe, Mr Maguire said the stagiest of elements of the Medical Council’s case was “that Dr. Akpekpe was somehow covering his tracks” and had been setting out from the start to “mislead Ms Lowe”. To argue his signature had been “illegible” to “cover his tracks” was “desperately unfair and close to scandalous”, he said.
“This man has 30 years' experience and is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and has never had a question raised about him.”
The committee, having deliberated for almost two hours, found four of the allegations were not proven.
It found the doctor had failed to taken an adequate medical history of Mr Lowe, and to have provided a different account of his treatment to the Medical Council than he had provided earlier to his duty doctor. The second action was not found to amount to poor professional performance.
