Two doctors copped a lot of flak in the media this week.
The first was Wendy Chapman, an A&E consultant at Maidstone Hospital, in Kent, who became embroiled in Harlequins Rugby Club’s Bloodgate saga.
To cut a long (and slightly tedious) story short, a player pretended to have a mouth injury towards the end of an important rugby match in order to allow a good kicker to come on to the pitch as his replacement in attempt to slot a winning penalty.
The Harlequins winger, Tom Williams, burst a capsule of fake blood in his mouth and was ‘helped’ from the pitch. But, when it looked like he was going to be rumbled by the match officials he claims to have asked Chapman, the club doctor, to cut his mouth to make it appear convincing.
The officials weren’t fooled and Williams received a lengthy ban. He promptly whistleblew on the club’s director of rugby, which created a whole new round of public bloodletting at the club.
Chapman now potentially faces an investigation by the GMC, despite the player saying he didn’t believe she was involved in the fake blood scandal.
Her case is now being handled by the MDU, inferring that the GMC are indeed considering proceedings. Neither organisation, understandably, is discussing the case.
It sends a clear message - the principles of the GMC’s Good Medical Practice apply whether you’re in A&E or the changing room of a rugby club.
The second case, if true, is a little more ethically clear cut. It involves a GP being accused of shagging a patient in his clinic while the patient’s husband sat outside.
Some dilemmas for doctors are easy to avoid, others less so - but it’s worth remembering, in the eyes of the GMC, it all has a bearing on your fitness to practise.
Tags: fitness to practise, GMC
Cheating is cheating - whether by player, coach, manager or doctor. It must be condemned for it brings sport into disrepute. Unfortunately, it appears to have become more commonplace and even condoned by players and commentators - by the use of the term ‘professional foul’ (which I would suggest is an oxymoron!). This increase appears to be associated with the increase in big money into professional sports (might be an interesting topic for research by a sports physician?) - and the ‘ethos’ of ‘must win at all cost’. Sport is supposed to be fun - there have to be winners and losers. Whatever happened to the idea that ‘participation is more imnportant than winning’? All this attempting to decieve the referees or umpires is ‘not cricket’!
Retired Orthopod (and amateur sportsman)
First do no harm. That’s supposedly the first line of the oath that we supposedly take (has anyone ever actually taken it?). The idea of an A&E consultant cutting a face to cover up someone cheating is frankly embarassing, and completely against good medical practice.
Doc just did what they were asked probably. The villian of the piece is Dean Richards, director of rugby at the club, who received a three-year ban. You had to laugh when the referee of their first game in the new season was announced. You guessed it - Dean Richars (a different one). You couldn’t make it up…
If it’s true, Chapman is on dodgy ground. But, you should read what the GP Rusling got up to…where did he get the energy?! Unbelievable.
Doesn’t matter whether you’re at med school or a consultants - rugger buggers are bad news. Just used to involve songs about ‘dickydidos’, lots of nudity and consumption of each other’s urine, now it’s full blown deception. My, how far they’ve come. Chapman should have learnt like the rest of female med students - give em a wide berth.
Wrong place, wrong time. Hope she doesn’t lose everything over it.
How would you react in A&E if someone asked you to cut their mouth because the police were coming? It’s not that subtle a moral dilemma is it…