Delay in cancer diagnosis

A breast cancer patient has welcomed the General Medical Council’s decision to hand down a four month suspension against one of the doctors she considers was responsible for the critical delays in diagnosing her condition.

Emma Southall told the GMC panel that she had seen her GP, Dr Hanna, at Hill Top Road Medical Centre in Oldbury three times complaining of a lump in her breast but no examination or referral was made.

By the time she was correctly diagnosed, her cancer had spread to her neck and other parts of her body. She has since undergone a mastectomy and an operation to remove her ovaries.

Following a week long Fitness to Practice hearing, The General Medical Council (GMC) has handed down a four month suspension against Dr Hany Sadek Fahmy Hanna, one of the GPs responsible for Emma’s care. The GMC noted that there had been no apology or expression of regret from Dr Hanna:

Speaking for the first time about her ordeal and battle to obtain a correct diagnosis, Emma said:

In an interview with Central News the mother of two says she has lost her confidence in doctors.