Accused doctor: I did my best for mother and baby

By STACEY BODGER

ROTORUA - A doctor accused of making errors while delivering a baby in 1994 said yesterday that he wished from the bottom of his heart that things had been different.

The doctor, whose name and specific occupation are suppressed, was charged in March with unbecoming conduct by a Medical Council complaints assessment committee.

The investigating committee was formed following a 1998 complaint by Tracey and Kaki Waenga, whose son Adam was born an epileptic, spastic quadriplegic in 1994.

Mrs Waenga also survived a life-threatening uterus rupture which was not detected until after the birth.

The committee found the doctor had made three errors: not performing a scalp test on Adam early enough, not facilitating his delivery early enough and not monitoring Adam's heartbeat for 22 minutes before the birth.

But a Medical Practitioner's Disciplinary Tribunal hearing the case amended the charge yesterday. The doctor now faces a charge of erring in his clinical management of Mrs Waenga's labour and Adam's delivery.

Appearing as a defence witness, the doctor said he regretted what had happened to Adam and had apologised to the Waengas.

He said that in hindsight some of his decisions were "unwise" but he defended his actions.

"I was, however, doing my best ... it has been a very devastating experience for me and I am probably now overcautious [in practice]."

Earlier, committee witness Professor Peter Stone said he believed the doctor had not monitored Adam enough before delivery, particularly given that Mrs Waenga's first son was delivered by caesarean section.

Professor Stone questioned the doctor's using a series of poor-quality scans, showing Adam had a fluctuating heartbeat, without checking whether the quality was a machine fault or an acute problem with the baby.

He said that when Mrs Waenga's contractions suddenly stopped, the doctor should have considered a ruptured uterus - a risk during labour for women with previous caesarean sections - and delivered the baby as rapidly as possible using forceps.

Instead, Adam was delivered 55 minutes later.

But an expert defence witness, Auckland doctor Jennifer Westgate, said Mrs Waenga's uterus rupture was extremely rare and could itself have caused the death or severe brain injury of a baby.

Dr Westgate said the doctor's actions were acceptable.

The tribunal was last night considering its decision.