A DOCTOR who was sanctioned after failing to engage with a Royal Bolton Hospital investigation has won a battle to have his suspension from practising medicine lifted.

A hearing at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester heard how Dr Maher Mohammad, who came to the UK in 2006, worked as a doctor, specialising in obstetrics for locum agencies around the country.

In July 2018 Dr Mohammad was working in Bolton when he was involved in an undisclosed incident on July 18, 2018.

But attempts from hospital bosses to obtain a statement from him soon afterwards failed and he did not respond to requests from bosses for an official response.

Then, five months after the Bolton incident, Dr Mohammad was later said to have performed an obstetric tear repair on a woman at a hospital in Milton Keynes but left a medical swab inside her.

When the swabs were counted he did not inform a senior consultant, or examine the patient. It was only five hours later that he returned to the patient, examined her without informed consent and retrieved the missing swab. No apology was given to the patient by the doctor until he was told to do so. He again delayed providing a statement about the incident until three months later.

In June the tribunal decided his behaviour amounted to misconduct and a two-month suspension was “necessary, appropriate and proportionate” to give him to “develop insight ad provide evidence of remediation”.

But last month the tribunal carried out a review to give the doctor an opportunity to demonstrate how he had reflected on his actions.

Dr Mohammad provided documentation proving he had attended several courses and submitted a reflective statement where he submitted he had had “learnt his lesson, shown good insight, and apologised to everyone”.

The tribunal concluded it was satisfied the doctor has insight into his misconduct, which is unlikely to be repeated and therefore his fitness to practice is no longer impaired. The remaining period of his suspension was revoked.