Trainee GP suspended after forcing patient to cry over her late husband so he could film it and prove he had 'empathy'
27 August 2024, 09:42
A trainee GP has been suspended after forcing a patient to cry over her dead husband in order to film it and share it with his bosses.
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In a bid to prove he had “empathy” Dr Christopher Ogbonna pushed one of his patients to tears after her husband died of cancer.
He’d hoped the video would show he had a sympathetic manner, a disciplinary hearing heard.
After their first meeting, Ogbonna then called the woman back, asking her to re-record parts of their meeting he thought went poorly.
When she refused, he began crying.
The trainee GP has been suspended for three months after being accused of prioritising his needs above a patient’s.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal heard that Dr Ogbonna knew the patient was vulnerable due to her husband’s passing, but still pressed her to cry when talking about his death.
In a written statement, Dr Ogbonna told the tribunal he wanted to perfect the consultation with the women to ensure he passed.
Representing the trainee GP, Mr Andrew Colman said Ogbonna “was deeply affected by the stress of potentially failing to qualify as a GP” after “years of dedicated service”.
The tribunal said: '(The patient) was vulnerable, not just due to the presentation of her health concern but also due to having suffered bereavements in her family - she had lost her husband.
“Prior to this meeting with Dr Ogbonna and stated that she was still ‘quite raw’ from that.
“Dr Ogbonna had become aware of (the patient) having lost her husband to cancer, however, he asked her to go over that fact multiple times in the recordings made and had asked her to cry, to enable him to demonstrate empathy on his part.
“Dr Ogbonna had prioritised his needs over (the patient)'s welfare.
“The Tribunal also noted (the patient)'s evidence that she was made to feel uncomfortable, and that Dr Ogbonna had placed undue pressure on her.”
The trainee GP had been working at Nene Valley and Hodgson Medical Practice since April 2023.
