Michael Jackson's Doctor "consultant" In Trinidad and Tobago ?
The Caribbean Is One Nation.
(From Trinidad Express, March 14 2014)
Allowing Dr Murray a foot in the door?
By Dana Seetahal
 |
| Dr. Conrad Murray |
In
the last few months there have been many issues plaguing the medical profession
that appear to have been met with the line that “it is a grey area”. First
there was the issue of cocaine pellets being found in the body of a patient and
no report being made to the police. Then came the issue of reporting of
suspected sexual offences by doctors in the case of minors. Lately the question
of negligence has arisen in the case where the head of a seven-month foetus was
sliced open during a Caesarean operation.
Now
there is talk by the Minister of Health of Dr Conrad Murray acting as a
“voluntary consultant” for heart surgeries. The minister has admitted that Dr
Murray has “offered to assist” and media as far away as New Zealand are today
reporting that Dr Murray is to be an unpaid (medical) consultant in this
country. This last matter begs the question as to whether the Minister of
Health does not realise that, where his ministry and the medical profession is
under serious scrutiny at this time, it is foolhardy if not plain reckless to
add fuel to the fire.
Dr
Conrad Murray was convicted in the state of California of involuntary
manslaughter in the 2009 death of pop music icon Michael Jackson. He was
sentenced to four years imprisonment in November 2011 for the offence. He
served two and was released at the end of October 2013. In February this year
he was in T&T and was seen at prominent all-inclusive Carnival fetes.
Around that time the Minister of Health is reported to have said that there was
no reason why Murray could not practise in T&T, if he is approved for a
licence by the Medical Board.
If
there is any thought at all of Dr Murray practising in T&T, whether as
practitioner or a “voluntary consultant”, it is perhaps relevant to note some
of what was said at his trial. The sentencing judge said that Dr Murray’s
recklessness with Jackson overshadowed his previous good character and his
treatment of Jackson was “a cycle of horrible medicine”. He further noted, “Dr
Murray engaged in a recurring, continuous pattern of deceit and lies.” He said
that far from being remorseful there was umbrage and outrage on the part of Dr
Murray against Jackson. In the end, the judge said, “Dr Murray abandoned his
patient,” and his conduct was “egregious” and “a disgrace to the medical
profession.” Even Ed Chernoff, Murray’s trial lawyer had this to say, “Michael
Jackson was a drug seeker, and Dr Murray was wrong in providing it.”
In
January 2014 the California appellate court had nothing better to say. In their
ruling, that court found that Murray had shown a callous disregard for
Jackson’s health and safety. The court held: “The evidence demonstrated that Mr
Jackson was a vulnerable victim and [Murray] was in a position of trust, and he
[the doctor] violated the trust relationship by breaching standards of
professional conduct in numerous respects.”
The
US authorities had stated even before he lost his appeal that it did not matter
if Murray had a blemish-free record prior to Michael Jackson’s death. “The
facts don’t change, he gave anaesthesia to a patient for sleep purposes”. His
medical licence has since been revoked in Texas and suspended in California and
Nevada. It was also reported that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s
Office has said it will be closely monitoring Murray to make sure he is not
able to practice medicine.
Yet
here in T&T our Minister of Health was suggesting a week or two ago that
there was no reason why Murray could not practise in T&T if he got a
licence. In this regard it is of note to mention that Section 12 of our Medical
Board Act provides that once he has the relevant qualifications a person is
entitled to be registered as a doctor if “he is of good character and a fit and
proper person to practise medicine”. The obvious question to be asked is how
could Dr Murray, in the light of his conviction and the statements made by both
the trial and appellate courts in California, be considered to be of good
character or a fit and proper person to practise medicine in this country?
Even
if he is to be a “voluntary consultant” in what capacity would he be
functioning as such if he is not a fit and proper person to practise medicine?
It
is no wonder that the rest of the world, in particular the TMZ celebrity
channel, is looking closely at what is happening in T&T in relation to Dr
Murray and reporting on it on a daily basis.
One
can only hope that neither the Minister of Health nor the Medical Association,
both of whom had talked of a “grey area” earlier this year in relation to other
matters, finds another grey area in the Murray case to justify allowing him to
practise medicine here. In respect of both the issues of the cocaine pellets
being found inside a man who had surgery and the need for reporting suspected
sexual offences both the minister and the PRO of the Medical Association
Dr Trinidade are reported as suggesting that doctor/patient
confidentiality may result in a “grey area” in the law.
Allowing
Dr Murray to have even, what has been termed by TMZ, a “foot in the door” with
even the talk of his being able to practise medicine in T&T, has already
raised the spectre of T&T being seen as a banana republic where anything
goes. We need to firmly shut that door and instead build the integrity of our
medical profession and its institutions.
MCG Note: Dr. Murray is a Trinidadian
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