Jab without consent doc in clear after complaint

A DOCTOR who allegedly jabbed a patient with the flu vaccine “without their consent” has been cleared of misconduct.

Dr Rajibuddin Mandal was accused of administering the seasonal influenza vaccination without asking his patient during two appointments at the Black Country surgery.

The patient claimed they were left “flabbergasted” after allegedly being told to roll up their sleeve moments before Dr Mandal injected the vaccine in their upper arm.

But a Medical Practitioners Tribunal ruled Dr Mandal’s fitness to practice was not impaired and said the patient’s evidence seemed “muddled”.

The medic was also accused of failing to record the patient’s jabs in consultation and immunisation records at Willenhall’s Lockstown Practice.

Dr Mandal – who qualified at India’s University of Calcutta in 1997 – denied the allegations but admitted failing to properly record one of the vaccines.

He blamed the “minor error” on software at the practice which stopped the vaccination being stored in the patient’s consultation record, but not their immunisation record.

The patient alleged the vaccines were administered during appointments in January 2017 and September 2018 – and complained in a letter six months later.

In a statement, the patient said: “It was a similar scenario to that of January 5, 2017.

“Dr Mandal turned around to the fridge to obtain the medication, again I couldn’t see what this was, he then asked me to roll up my sleeve and gave me the injection in my upper arm. I was flabbergasted when considering he had done this before.”

The tribunal declared Dr

Mandal – who joined the surgery in 2005 and was a partner at the time – was an experienced medic who had administered vaccines to thousands of patients without complaints arising.

A report from the August hearing read: “The initial concerns were raised with the General Medical Council (GMC) on June 6, 2019, by Dr Galaa Fayed GP, who had previously worked with Dr Mandal at the practice.

“Dr Fayed was in receipt of the letter of complaint written by the patient concerning the events in question.

“The tribunal found that the GMC explanation that Dr Mandal may have been seeking to cut corners was not plausible.”

The tribunal determined there was insufficient evidence that Dr Mansal failed to get his patient’s consent before administering the vaccine or failed to record entries of the jabs.

It said the medic’s admission he failed to record one vaccine did not amount to serious misconduct.