Doc who repeatedly botched two-month-old baby’s circumcision ‘tried to bribe family to drop lawsuit with school fees offer’
Dr Muhammad Chaudhary, 52, was being sued for bungling the initial £150 procedure, but then fouled up a further four times, The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service is told
A FAMILY doctor who botched a baby boy’s circumcision tried to bribe his family into dropping a damages claim against him by offering to pay the youngster’s private school fees, a medical tribunal heard today.
Dr Muhammad Chaudhary, 52, was being sued for compensation after he bungled the £150 procedure on the two-month-old tot, then failed to repair the damage with up to FOUR further operations.
But in a bid to get the civil claim dropped, Chaudhary pestered the grandfather of the boy at a restaurant he owned, handing out gifts and offering to pay the family's legal costs and private school fees for the child, it was claimed.
Following five operations on the boy which left his genitalia badly damaged, he also took gifts to the grandfather for the child in attempts to “butter him up”, a fitness to practice hearing heard.
But ultimately the child had to be referred to a specialist surgeon - as he should have been after the first failed repairing operation - and three further hospital operations were required to correct the damage.
The boy received ongoing care for the damage until he was almost three-and-a-half years old.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester heard Chaudhary had been asked to perform the initial procedure by the baby's grandfather when another GP passed on his name.
Ten days after the first operation they became concerned at the results and confronted Chaudhary, who organised a second op.
During that operation the Pakistani medic did not tell the parents of the boy - known as Patient A - the nature of the complication and again it failed to fix the problem, it is alleged.
Following a third and allegedly a fourth failed repair operations, the boy's father feared Chaudhary had “no idea” what he was doing and they said they were referring Patient A to a hospital consultant via his GP.
The initial circumcision took place on November 22, 2008 at the Broadway Medical Centre surgery in Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, but the family's dealings with Chaudhary continued until January 2014 as they pursued damages against him.
He visited the grandfather of the boy - referred to as Mr F - at his restaurant four times in that month alone offering a settlement or the payment of private school fees if they dropped the claim, it is alleged.
Lawyer for the General Medical Council, Alan Taylor said: “There was more than one occasion between December 2009 and January 2009 when Chaudhary attended Mr F's restaurant with gifts for Patient A.
"Mr F will confirm that the visits would follow each unsuccessful surgical procedure.
''We say these were attempts to butter up and try and keep Mr F and the family happy.”
Chaudhary admits carrying out the original circumcision and three repair operations.
He denies performing a fourth repair operation, failing to keep the family properly informed, offering gifts to the boy's grandfather, offering to pay private school fees that his actions were dishonest.
The hearing continues.