Doctor whose negligence led to a mum's death at Oldham hospital is struck off
A doctor in his eighties whose negligent actions caused the death of a mother of three during a routine hospital procedure has been struck off.
Shahida Parveen died at the age of 48 after attending the hospital for a routine bone marrow biopsy at the Royal Oldham Hospital.
Mamman carried out a ''highly dangerous procedure'', rarely used in the UK, instead of using the conventional technique.
Mamman had tried to take a sample from the hip bone, but was unsuccessful and instead took a sample from her sternum. He inserted the biopsy needle but missed the sternum ''altogether'', causing a fatal puncture wound to the pericardium which encloses the heart.
After Mrs Parveen collapsed, her husband came running out of the room shouting: "He killed her! I told him to stop three times and he did not listen. He killed her."
Last year Mamman, then 85, and aged 81 at the time Mrs Parveen died, was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to gross negligence manslaughter at Manchester Crown Court.
Now, following disciplinary proceeds instigated by the Medical Practitioners' Tribunal Service, Mamman has been struck off the register of doctors.
He did not attend the hearing, and remains in prison serving his sentence. In its published report, the tribunal said that ''given the seriousness of Dr Mamman's conviction and the sanction imposed, and notwithstanding his custodial sentence, it is in the public interest to make an order suspending his registration with immediate effect, to protect patient safety, uphold and maintain professional standards and maintain public confidence in the profession''.
The crown court previously heard that Mamman's competence had already been called into question before he killed Mrs Parveen. Before he joined Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in 2004, the body which runs the hospital which is now named the Northern Care Alliance, Mamman had left his previous job with the Medway Trust in Kent due to ''poor performance''.
In 2015, a female patient of Mamman made a formal complaint after she was left in ''considerable pain'' when he had used 'excessive force' while conducting a bone marrow biopsy. The patient claimed she was told that colleagues thought Mamman should retire due to his age, but that they ''could not dismiss him purely because of his age''.
She said she was told that the doctor would ''only be doing light duties from now on'' and that he ''would not be performing any more procedures''. But that same year Mamman carried out another ''routine'' bone marrow biopsy which led to a 64-year-old man suffering a cardiac arrest.
He was left permanently disabled as a result of the ''heavy handed'' procedure, after the biopsy needle caused bleeding into his pelvic area. At Mamman's sentencing hearing, his barrister claimed that Mrs Parveen had also been failed by the Trust, alleging a ''catalogue of failings'' between 2015 and 2018 in relation to the doctor.
"He should never have been allowed to be in the position that he was," Michael Hayton KC said.
After the sentencing hearing, Dr Chris Brookes, Group Chief Doctor and Deputy Chief Executive for the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We wish again to offer our sincerest condolences to Mrs Parveen’s family and friends and we are deeply sorry for their loss. We would like to reiterate our sincere apology previously provided to Mrs Parveen’s family.
"Our heartfelt sympathies go out to them. Following Mrs Parveen’s death in September 2018, the trust launched a thorough internal investigation to examine the circumstances leading up to and following this tragic incident. The trust implemented improvements following investigation which were shared with Mrs Parveen's family. The trust has admitted liability in relation to a civil claim brought by the family.
"The trust has liaised closely with Greater Manchester Police throughout their investigation and the subsequent legal proceedings concerning Dr Mamman."