Surgeon in babies row awaits ops go-ahead (From Western Telegraph)

Surgeon in babies row awaits ops go-ahead

A SURGEON at the centre of the Bristol heart babies scandal will spend another day at a hearing to discover whether or not he will be allowed to operate on children again.

Janardan Dhasmana was banned from performing surgery on children for three years after being found guilty of serious professional misconduct.

The surgeon has vowed never to operate on children again but the General Medical Council hearing could enable him to do so.

The ban expires next month.

Mr Dhasmana, aged 61, was not officially stopped from operating on adults but has been prevented from doing so by pressures within the medical profession. Parents of dead children are opposed to him being allowed to practice on children or adults.

Mr Dhasmana took up his post at Bristol in 1986 and began a programme of arterial switch surgery which lasted from February 1988 to January 1995.

He operated on 38 babies and 20 died.

Rosalind Foster, for the GMC, told the hearing that after the 11th death Mr Dhasmana should have been more concerned and made greater attempts to investigate his high mortality rate.

Although he did seek advice from a fellow surgeon he continued to carry out the delicate surgery. Mr Dhasmana oealso gave misleading information to parents whose children were about to undergo the operation.

The hearing continues.