Fatal jab doctor 'was reinstated'

Wayne Jowett was being treated for leukaemia

A doctor who ordered a fatal injection be given to a teenage cancer patient was later reinstated to work in the same area, a court has heard.

Dr Feda Mulhem had told a junior colleague to give 18-year-old Wayne Jowett the injection while he was being treated for leukaemia at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre.

But the cancer drug vincristine was injected into the spine instead of a vein.

Dr Mulhem, of Stanley Road, Leicester, denies unlawful killing.

Dr Feda Mulhem attending court

Six months after the teenager's death on January 4, 2001, Dr Mulhem began retraining as a specialist registrar and was reinstated on a rota of Nottingham hospitals, although he refused to carry out spinal injections.

Dr Jennifer Byrne, chair of the specialist registrar training committee, told Nottingham Crown Court: "We were asked to carry out a period of specialist retraining.

"He did undergo this training but at his own request he did not get involved with intrathecal [spinal injections] training. He watched but did not do it."

Dr Byrne added: "He was regularly assessed during this period and was reinstated to our rotation (which includes the City hospital, Queen's Medical Centre and Derby Royal Infirmary) as a specialist registrar.

"He performed well. He was enthusiastic to learn and showed a good of background knowledge and was certainly concerned for his patients and their care."

Different drug

Bruce Houlder QC, prosecuting, earlier told the court Dr Mulhem, 35, made a series of errors that led to the teenager's death.

He had been working at Queen's Medical Centre for two days when he ordered a junior doctor to give the injection to 18-year-old Wayne Jowett.

Mr Jowett was attending the hospital as an outpatient to be injected with a chemotherapy drug as part of his recovery from leukaemia.

It was only after the junior doctor had queried the injection twice that it was realised a mistake had been made.

Mr Houlder said Dr Mulhem had failed to check the drugs that were being administered.

He said: "What he did was to fail in a number of respects, which were absolutely basic in his responsibilities as a doctor.

"These failures led directly to the death of Wayne Jowett."

Dr Mulhem later told police he thought he was administering a different drug.

In a written statement he said: "I know it is a lame excuse, but I am a human being.

"I know this mistake may end my medical career but I am ready to learn from my mistake."

The trial continues.