A DOCTOR who was on paid leave pending an inquiry into an allegation against him at one Health Service Executive hospital was able to secure a job at another and was paid for both jobs, a Medical Council fitness-to-practise inquiry heard yesterday.
Dr Gbolgagunte Olawuyi Raimi (32), who trained in Nigeria, faced four allegations of professional misconduct, and two of these were found not to have been proven. Two allegations were proven as fact, but did not amount to professional misconduct.
While on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation at Kerry General Hospital, the Meath-based doctor worked as a senior house officer (SHO) for Ennis General Hospital, and was paid for both posts.
He also worked as an SHO without being on the correct register with the Medical Council.
JP McDowell, solicitor for the Medical Council, said Dr Raimi took up his post on a psychiatry training scheme at Kerry General Hospital in January 2010. He was registered in the Medical Council’s trainee specialist division.
He was put on paid leave on July 1st, 2010, following a complaint. He contacted the Medical Council in early July requesting to transfer to the general register, and also applied for a locum post at Ennis General Hospital through recruitment agency Global Medics, Mr McDowell said.
He was given the post in August, and worked there until the contract finished in October. It later came to light he had been paid by the HSE at both hospitals, had got the second job while under investigation, and was not registered to work as an SHO.
The HSE made a complaint to the Medical Council. The investigation at Kerry General Hospital was completed in November 2010, but the results were not disclosed to the inquiry. Dr Raimi had resigned his position there, Mr McDowell said.
Giving evidence, Dr Raimi, who was not legally represented, detailed delays in communications with the Medical Council and said there had been problems getting Kerry hospital to fill out a form to have his registration changed.
Once he finished at the position in Ennis he did not take up other posts that were offered to him until he was moved to the general register, he said.
He has since worked in Cavan and Meath.
Even though the allegations made him look irresponsible, he was not an irresponsible doctor, he said.
Michael Fitzgerald, HSE area manager for Kerry General Hospital, who had put Dr Raimi on administrative leave because of a “serious matter”, said he felt it had been clear Dr Raimi could not work elsewhere while he was on leave. He had told Dr Raimi he could attend job interviews but, under cross-examination, said he could not remember specifically telling him he could not work.
He also acknowledged it was possible some doctors who were on annual leave from one hospital could work as locums at other hospitals and be paid for both.
Frank Keane, acting manager at Ennis General Hospital, said the hospital phoned Global Medics, asked for Dr Raimi’s registration number and was told it was being processed. The woman dealing with the case then went on holiday, and by the time she returned Dr Raimi was already working. The doctor “fell through the cracks”, Mr Keane said.
Fitness-to-practise committee chairman Brendan Broderick said it had not been proven Dr Raimi knew it was inappropriate to work at Ennis while being investigated at Kerry hospital. It had also not been proven he knew it was inappropriate to take both salaries.
While it had been proven he failed to inform Kerry hospital of his second job and that he had not been registered to practise as an SHO, it had not been proven that this amounted to professional misconduct.
