A doctor in Manchester who wrongly gave the all-clear to 20 breast cancer patients has been suspended from practising for 12 months.
One of the women died after the misdiagnosis of consultant radiologist Amjad Husien was not spotted for three months.
A General Medical Council panel ruled he “repeatedly failed to provide an acceptable level of care to patients” in his breast imaging work at Trafford General Hospital.
He placed patients at risk and showed serious and persistent failures to meet required medical standards, the panel added.
Dr Husien’s breast scan blunders led to a review of almost 2,500 mammograms at Trafford General and North Manchester General Hospital, where he also worked.
A total of 176 women had to be recalled and retested after the mistakes were identified in April 2005. Dr Husien, who worked at Trafford General for two years, was subsequently suspended on full pay.
Sitting in Manchester, the fitness to practise hearing concluded he failed to correctly interpret mammograms for 13 patients and ultrasounds for seven patients.
In a statement, Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust said: “We welcome the decision of the GMC hearing and will now consider the implications for the trust.
“We are already using our specialist employment procedures relating to senior doctors to address the issues concerning Dr Husien.”
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