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My deep shock: consultant breaks silence on Baby P
Robert Mendick, Rashid Razaq and Jack Lefley19 Nov 2008
THE hospital consultant accused of failing to spot Baby P's broken back today told of her devastation.
Dr Sabah Alzayyat, 52, spoke out for the first time to insist that she has devoted her career to treating children.
She also told of her "deep shock" over the 17-month-old toddler who died at his north London home two days after she examined him.
The consultant paediatrician remains the only person to lose their job despite the failures that led to the boy suffering months of abuse and neglect at the hands of his mother and two men.
Her contract was terminated after she decided against a full medical examination of Baby P because he was "miserable and cranky". A post-mortem revealed that among scores of injuries he had a broken back.
Dr Alzayyat last night made a rare appearance in public, leaving her home in Ilford to collect her husband from the airport. She said in a statement: "Like everyone involved in this case, I have been deeply affected by the shocking and tragic circumstances of this young child's death. My professional career has been devoted to the care of children. I will cooperate with any investigation to identify whether lessons can be learnt from this case, but I feel it would be inappropriate to provide any further comment to the press at this time." The statement was issued through the Medical Protection Society, which provides professional indemnity for doctors.#
Dr Alzayyat refused to comment further but her husband Nasim Osmani Subhi, a consultant obstetrician working in Ireland, said: "It's too upsetting for us to talk right now. It is a difficult time. We would like to be left alone."
Dr Alzayyat faces a General Medical Council investigation. Her contract with Great Ormond Street Hospital was terminated in May, nine months after Baby P's death.
The children's hospital runs the child development centre at St Ann's Hospital in Tottenham to which Baby P was taken by his mother on 1 August last year. The mother, 27, her boyfriend and their lodger face lengthy jail terms after being convicted of causing or failing to prevent the toddler's death.
Dr Alzayyat, from Saudi Arabia, trained in Pakistan and Ireland. She is understood to be contesting the decision to effectively sack her. She is still free to work in the NHS but only if supervised pending the GMC inquiry. It is not thought she is working at the moment.
GP Jerome Kaine Ikwueke put paediatricians on "full alert" after Baby P was brought to him covered in bruises in December 2006, it emerged today. He refused to believe claims from the boy's mother that there were innocent explanations. The doctor sent him to Whittington hospital with a note saying: "He presents with an unexplained haematoma over the front of the skull. Bruises right shoulder, right breast and sternum and two-inch frontal haematoma with bluish colouration on the front of nose. Full alert. Thanks." The hospital agreed the injuries were "non accidental" and social workers were alerted. Despite being put on a protection register the boy died eight months later.
Reader views (33)
This doctor quite clearly did not carry out her duty properly and as a direct result of her failure to do what so is paid to do, and is legally obliged to do this baby lost a huge chance to avoid being murdered.
I do understand why she would have feeling's of guilt and be suicidal, but most unfortunately she is partly responsible for a child's death.
Also I blame society and Esther Rantzen for building this situation where interaction between children and adults has been stimatised to the extent that only parents can interact naturally with their own children. Even now, carers, teachers, health professionals, mentors etc are basically kept at arms length.
- Gerry, Newport, 22/02/2010 10:57
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I find it impossible to believe a docotr would have missed the broken back.
The baby was paralised from waist down if a child is cranky and therefore at 17 months ( trust me I'm a mother of three) likely to throw a paddy they kick, they wiggle, they arch their back. Even without a paddy the baby was being supprted by mother and friend that child would have wanted to wiggle and move what 17 month old doesn't?
How on Earth can you miss the lack of movement - she dealt with children on a daily basis??!!!'
The mother will have an interesting time in jail - I hear that jailbirds have their standards. Although I can't condone that, can't say I hold an sympathy for her either.
- Lisa,, Nottingham, England, 21/11/2008 12:50
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In Sweden there are VERY strong laws against childabuse. I find it strange that UK do not have stronge laws against childabuse and bad parents. The children are in focus - not the family as in this case, when they let the mother have Baby P again. It is a big story in Sweden about Baby P and UK laws. Awful stoy and I feelt really sick when I read about the poor kid. Go for stronger laws to protect kids!
- Isabella, Malmoe SWEDEN, 20/11/2008 10:57
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All involved need to stop blaming each other and start taking responsibility for their lack of action.
RIP Baby P X
- Louise Copeland, London, 19/11/2008 17:24
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How can you not spot a broken spine?
- P Staker, London, 19/11/2008 17:13
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If he appeared miserable and cranky, that was surely evidence of something wrong with him. In this case, it was something desperately serious that the most cursory of examinations should have spotted. But even had it been some other baby with a minor ailment, the principle stands. It is a paediatrician's job to find out why a baby is miserable, and to provide appropriate treatment.
- Nigel, London, 19/11/2008 16:43
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Do we really need such people in our NHS?
- Js, London, 19/11/2008 16:24
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As terrible as this case is, and as unbearable it is to think that this is happening everyday, unfortunately it is!!
- Sarah, London, 19/11/2008 16:23
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It appears that Baby P was only seriously abused once the 'stepfather's' brother came to live with the family. That is in the last two weeks of his life. As for the doctor, personally I think she should be chucked out of the country and sent back to Saudia. What are people like her doing here anyway? Just taking money from the NHS and not doing their job. Ofcourse she is 'affected', she's not earning oodles of cash and swanning round as the big 'Iam'.
- Sue Rochester, London, 19/11/2008 15:52
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This Government is a JOKE!!! Everyone at Haringey who was involved in this case should be sacked!!! Take responsibility and stop looking for excuses. Such a waste of money on sush useless council!! Shame!!
- Tanya, London, UK, 19/11/2008 15:42
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How come the NSPCC were not involved in this case?
What is the point in the public making donations to this charity if they don't use the funds to protect children in these situations?
- Caroline, East London, UK, 19/11/2008 15:35
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A statement released by the Medical Protection Society does not suggest that she is acknowledging her fault or taking the blame as suggested by your correpondant in Norwich.i.e.the blame for not diagnosing the child's problem.Nobody has suggested that any other than those in the dock are responsable for the injuries.I do not feel that her nationality is in any way relevant to the debate on her professional abilities and find the remarks distasteful.
- Robert Brown, scarborough uk, 19/11/2008 15:19
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She should have the decency not to appeal over her sacking - fat chance of that though. I hope the courts ban her from practicing in this country ever again.
- Isabel, woking, 19/11/2008 15:14
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But surely if any child is registered for protection or has been or has a history of abuse, all doctors would take this opportunity to check the child over?
Abuse is not just on the face.
- C .M. Sanders, London, 19/11/2008 15:04
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looks like this doctors husband wasnt too good at his job either, see following link;
http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1998/01/29/ihead.htm
a child,suffered severe injury rendering him permanently disabled in the course of his delivery at Wexford hospital and a settlement of more than a Million pounds was rewarded to the child as a result
- Marie Clifford, waterford ireland, 19/11/2008 14:30
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Since first reading of his torturous life, I find myself thinking of little else. Such an innocent look about him, living and perpetually savaged for sadistic pleasure. Has the world gone absolutely mad?
We have elevated a humanistic view of faith in man over millennia of human experience that teaches man left to his own devises, in the absence of a society which promulgates absolute moral certainities of right and wrong, is a path to the depths of depravity. May Baby P find in death the open arms of absolute love which were never afforded him in life.
- John Drics, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, 19/11/2008 14:15
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The whole crew in Haringey should be sacked. Every one of them, as a lesson to others in the field. But, with Labour, I expect the usual excuses and nothing done and nobody held to account. Balls is humming and hawing on an independent enquiry. Got to protect those Labourites on Haringey Council! Maybe an independent enquiry would point to nanny policies passed in Labour's 11 years that contributed to the little boy's death.
- Phil Jones, London UK, 19/11/2008 14:05
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Let us not forget that the only innocent person in all of this is the child Baby P, the government is always quick in condeming and finding scapegoats for these cruel acts.
Dr Sabah Alzayyat does have role to play in all of this but the parents have been missleading and devious in the way of trying to hide the abuse.
The councils social services have failed to deliver what they are paid to do, they were the ones paid to visit Baby P, they were the ones paid to look after Baby P, they were the ones who fought against the police reports about Baby P so they are the ones that should be held accountable and charged with gross neglect and failing to carry out there duties expected of them by every person in the UK.
This government has got so much wrong recently lets hope for the sake of all the Baby P's out there they get this right.
- Nigel Young, Swanley Kent UK, 19/11/2008 13:58
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But not quite sorry enough to resign over missing some thing as basic as a broken back! She shouldn't be allowed to resign, she should be sacked, and sued for taking her salary under false pretences.
- L.Taubler, London / UK, 19/11/2008 13:45
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it is shocking and disgusting to know that a child of such tender age has been abused to the point of dieing and that professionals (several of them) failed and keep failing to save the innocents.
do your job properly and do your job because you are genuely there for the sake of saving children and not just because your jobs pays the bills!
- Federica, london, 19/11/2008 13:39
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This doctor should be banned from ever working in a British hospital again.
- Mike Kendall, London, 19/11/2008 13:38
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i think they are so sick do be able to do that to a baby!!! they should be locked up for ever !!!!! R.I.P lil baby P you wont be forgotton!!xxxxxx
- Emma Best, bradford, 19/11/2008 13:32
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If as it seems this doctor did fail to look after this child and appears to have failed to fully diagnose the his injuries should she be allowed to continue with the NHS even whilst supervised.
We need all of our doctors to be professional and in this case it would seem that Dr Alzayyat was less than that to say the least.
- Mike Melbourne, Bedford England, 19/11/2008 13:29
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Goodness don't these poor abused babies/children not come into hospital with bright red files marked 'abused' so the doctors carry out forensic examination. The poor mite couldn't verbalise its abuse and the doctor was its only salvation and she missed a broken back...how?
Also people Knew what was going on with baby P but were afraid to speak out. Why not have a dedicated post-box at police stations for such things, where these messages (anon) can be posted and Not ignored or brushed aside because of 'excuses' by abusing parent.
There are loads of other baby P's out there suffering the same fate, let's help them through a campaign like 'crimestoppers' mayb called 'kidrescue'.
- Maria, london, 19/11/2008 13:18
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Good that she's gone. Hope she never works again in this country (or any other). Perhaps if she took off her head dress she might be able to see and hear properly.
- Jilly, London, 19/11/2008 13:16
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she decided against a full medical examination of Baby P because he was "miserable and cranky". A post-mortem revealed that among scores of injuries he had a broken back.
If truly this was the reason she did not do her job at all, then.............................................
she should be struck off the medical register and return to Saudi.........................let the authorities deal with her...........................................
stoning I would say would be the appropriate manner of punishment for what she did NOT DO !
- Rana, LONDON, 19/11/2008 13:16
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How many other mistakes has Dr Alzayyat made? I sincerely hope that she goes nowhere near any children I know. In my humble opinion, she should be struck off.
- Sharon, London, 19/11/2008 12:56
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We would like to be left alone Too easy isn't it?
- Willy Heckaslyke, paris france, 19/11/2008 12:37
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One down, several more to go we hope.
- Bj, London, 19/11/2008 12:36
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Are there any British doctors left in the NHS?
- Casper Slides, France, 19/11/2008 12:34
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This is DISGRACEFUL !!! I'm not a doctor - or a vet - but I have several animals at home and believe me I'd KNOW if any of them had a broken back ! Time to remove someone's license to practise .......
- Marianne, SW France, 19/11/2008 12:31
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Shame on her.
- Sarah, London, UK, 19/11/2008 12:10
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This doctor is the only one who has taken the blame. First of all the blame lies with those who inflicted the injuries. Secondly, the blame lies more fully with those who saw the child time after time, yet for whatever reason decided not to be suspicous or to act without fear over the cause of injuries that were time and time again officially deemed to be non accidental. Thirdly, the blame lies with a system that time after time comes down on the side of the older members of the family or the ideal of the family , rather than on the side of the individual children.
- Helen, norwich, 19/11/2008 12:04
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