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Whistleblower: NHS sacked me for revealing dumped X-rays
Anna Davis, Education Correspondent18 Nov 2009
A doctor who was sacked after revealing that the NHS dumped thousands of unchecked X-rays today accused the NHS of failing to protect whistleblowers.
Dr Otto Chan, a consultant radiologist, is taking Barts and the London NHS Trust to an employment tribunal in Blackwall today claiming unfair dismissal.
He was suspended and later fired from the Royal London Hospital in 2006. Since then he has been unable to find a permanent job in the NHS.
The father-of-seven said: “I want to highlight problems that whistle-blowers face in the NHS.”
Dr Chan, 52, has claimed that he uncovered up to 30,000 packets of unreported X-rays dumped in a corridor.
It meant thousands of patients may have not learned they had serious illnesses. Regulations state every X-ray or scan must be read by a radiologist.
Barts and the London has always denied Dr Chan's dismissal was related to the dumped scans. A spokesman for the trust said: “His dismissal followed a 19-month investigation, including a hearing by an independent panel. The dismissal was in no way connected with issues with our radiology processes.”
