Hepatitis doctor given jail term

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/humber/6572131.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A doctor who put thousands of patients at risk by working at hospitals across the UK while suffering from hepatitis B has been jailed for 18 months.

Emergency doctor Daniel Mutunda, 43, of Barking, east London, asked a friend to provide a blood sample for him after a routine test showed he had the virus.

He was jailed at Hull Crown Court on Thursday after earlier admitting falsely claiming to be medically fit.

Judge Simon Jack said the damage done by Mutunda was "incalculable".

'Huge worry'

Mutunda, of Ventner Gardens, had worked in accident and emergency departments in Barnsley, Exeter, Hull, York, Preston and numerous hospitals in London.

The court heard that about 60,000 patients had to be screened for hepatitis B as a result of his actions, though none was believed to have been infected.

He betrayed a position of trust in a public office . . . he's let his family down, the church, the public Det Sgt Dave Wescott

Sentencing him on Thursday, Judge Jack described Mutunda as "something of an enigma".

He said: "You put patients at risk.

"If you had made a mistake and failed to use gloves or something of that sort a patient could have been infected.

"When the true position came to light and the investigation took place there must have been a huge amount of worry for anybody who became aware that they had been treated by you.

"The damage that has been done is incalculable."

Sentence 'lenient'

When a routine blood screening showed Congo-born Mutunda had the life-threatening virus, he asked a friend to provide a blood sample for him and continued working.

He was suspended in 2004 after an investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC), but continued to work, securing employment through an agency.

Mr Jack said due to the fact Mutunda continued to practice despite being suspended, his only option was to impose a prison sentence.

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Sgt Dave Wescott of Humberside Police described the sentencing as "lenient".

He said he did not believe Mutunda was "the only one" and said the case exposed "a lot of flaws in the system and a lot of inconsistencies with the way locums are appointed".

"I would be surprised if there weren't other people doing the same thing", he said.

"He betrayed a position of trust in a public office. He's let his family down, the church, the public more than anything."