A consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist in the Midlands had seven allegations of professional misconduct brought against him at a Medical Council fitness to practise hearing this morning.
David Mortell, a consultant at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar, allegedly failed to carry out adequate scans and measurements during the pregnancy of one of his patients that might have led to an advance diagnosis of a genetic disorder in her child.
Ruairí Kenny was born to Jane Kenny on December 5th, 2009 at 38 weeks by caesarean section. He weighed 1.8kg (4lbs) and was rushed to Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin where he died six days later of Edward's Syndrome.
Solicitor for the Medical Council, JP McDowell, said the Kennys learned of their son's condition two days after he was born when Mrs Kenny called Dr Mortell into her bedroom from the corridor.
Mrs Kenny was "taken aback", Mr McDowell said, adding that Dr Mortell "wasn't very comforting and left rather abruptly".
If they had known the baby had the syndrome, the family would have made different arrangements to spend more time with him, Mr McDowell said.
Among Dr Mortell's alleged failures were that he did not identify foetal measurements or ensure that ultrasounds were carried out by a trained sonographer, and he did not take adequate fundal height measurements.
The case has been adjourned to November 15th.
