Ban for doctor who left baby with brain injury

Dr Ahmed Loutfi has had two restoration applications rejected, after being struck off the medical register in 2016

A former doctor who left a baby with a brain injury and a skull fracture during birth can no longer reapply to be restored to the medical register.

Dr Ahmed Loutfi was originally struck off the medical register after a fitness to practice hearing in 2016, relating to misconduct at hospitals in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Hull.

A tribunal has now indefinitely suspended his right to reapply to be restored as a practising doctor, after his second application to be reinstated was rejected.

In another incident, he incorrectly diagnosed a mum with an ectopic pregnancy as having had a partial miscarriage, and told her to "go home and try for another baby".

The fitness to practise hearing in 2016, which resulted in Dr Loutfi being struck off the medical register, involved several allegations which were found proven by the panel.

In May 2013, while working at Birmingham Women's Hospital, Dr Loutfi was found to have "inappropriately" rotated the baby's head with forceps during childbirth, leaving the baby with a brain injury and depressed skull fracture.

'Try for another baby'

During a subsequent investigation, the doctor claimed he had delivered another patient through the same means while being supervised by another doctor, when he knew this was untrue.

The tribunal also heard that in April 2010, while working at the Liverpool Women's Hospital, Dr Loutfi incorrectly diagnosed a patient as having had an incomplete miscarriage twice, despite the fact she had already had a scan and been told she had an ectopic pregnancy.

During his first consultation with her, he told her she should be discharged home with paracetamol for pain relief, and on the second, that she should go home and "try for another baby".

Two days later, she was taken to hospital and had a fallopian tube removed after the ectopic pregnancy was discovered.

In October 2011, while working at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester, Dr Loutfi was presented with a foetal blood sample result which showed severe foetal distress, giving a clear indication that the baby needed to be delivered urgently.

However, he made an "inappropriate" decision to proceed with vaginal delivery and failed to advise immediate delivery by Caesarean section.

Emergency hysterectomy

After midwives raised concerns with a consultant, the baby was delivered by Caesarean section.

During this delivery it became apparent that the mother's uterus had ruptured and she required an emergency hysterectomy.

Dr Loutfi also failed to disclose that he was subject to a warning after a fitness to practise hearing in 2010, relating to an assault of a colleague in March 2009, in two job applications.

The applications were to the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Hull and East Yorkshire Women and Children's Hospital.

After making his second application to be restored to the medical register, a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing in June concluded that it was not satisfied that Dr Loutfi was fit to practise, and has indefinitely suspended his right to reapply for restoration.

Update 2 September, 2024: The headline has been changed to reflect the wording used in the MPTS finding.