Watford Hospital: Botched C-section locum struck off

Dr David Nzegbulem worked at Watford General Hospital for two days

A doctor who performed an emergency Caesarean section that left a woman seriously ill has been struck off.

Dr David Nzegbulem spent two days at Watford Hospital as a locum specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology - a position he was not qualified for.

A misconduct hearing found he "put the life of the patient and her child at risk" by doing the surgery in 2015.

His patient was left in intensive care and has ongoing problems, said the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.

'Multiple bleeding points'

The tribunal said Dr Nzegbulem "knowingly took on a post for which he was not qualified, thereby exposing everyone under his care to risk".

On 10 November 2015, he performed a category one C-section, the most urgent level, but made an incision that was too low.

Another doctor who entered the theatre and took over the procedure said there were "multiple bleeding points, tears to the uterus at the corners of where the initial incision had been made and the repair was inadequate".

The tribunal also found Dr Nzegbulem had failed to administer medication to reduce the woman's blood loss.

Mike van der Watt, medical director of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said the trust had since "reviewed and strengthened" its recruitment process.

He said: "All the usual pre-employment checks were carried out before [Dr Nzegbulem's] appointment. These included a review of the professional references supplied by his locum agency.

"It should be noted that the trust's rapid actions in contacting the General Medical Council (GMC) and NHS England - once the incident came to light - were commended by the GMC."