Current location:opinions >>
Devout Christian doctor, 68, who punched dementia
opinions551People have gathered around
IntroductionAn 'arrogant' doctor who punched a vulnerable patient for making a racist comment and spitting at hi ...
An 'arrogant' doctor who punched a vulnerable patient for making a racist comment and spitting at him has become the fifth health professional from a single hospital to be jailed in the past year.
Devout Christian Dr Xowi Mwimbi, 68, was last week given a 12-month sentence after ignoring warnings that the man – who had a degenerative brain condition - might lash out and losing his temper.
Staff at Blackpool Victoria Hospital had urged the locum consultant physician to keep his distance as the patient could get severely distressed if anyone got to close to him.
But Mwimbi - a church elder and trustee of a charity which tackles poverty in Africa – 'shamefully' ignored their pleas and attacked the unnamed man after being insulted.
A trial heard the patient instinctively swung his arm towards Mwimbi but barely made any contact.
The doctor then reacted by punching the patient to the left temple and pressing his head into the pillow.
Devout Christian Dr Xowi Mwimbi, 68, (pictured) punched a vulnerable patient for making a racist comment
Dr Mwimbi is a church elder at the Altrincham Seventh-day Adventist Church, in Greater Manchester and trustee of a charity which tackles poverty in Africa
Staff at Blackpool Victoria Hospital (pictured) had urged the locum consultant physician to keep his distance as the patient could get severely distressed if anyone got to close to him
Staggeringly, Mwimbi is the third health professional to be jailed for mistreating patients at the Lancashire hospital in the past 12 months.
Last December a nurse and a healthcare worker at Blackpool Victoria Hospital's stroke unit were jailed for ill-treatment after a court heard patients were sedated for an 'easy shift' and their own 'amusement'.
A fourth member of staff, 'predatory' healthcare assistant Hernando Puno, 52, was jailed for nine months last May for sexually assaulting female colleagues.
A fifth was locked up for stealing medication.
In a statement read to his sentencing hearing last week, the patient's mother, a nurse herself, added: 'I have never seen anyone strike a patient before.
'What Dr Mwimbi did was both unjustified and shameful.'
Mwimbi also faces an investigation by the General Medical Council which could lead to him being struck off.
'It is clear you failed in your first duty of car to a patient which is to do no harm,' Judge Heather Lloyd told him at Preston Crown Court.
'This patient had very complex needs and you ignored warnings over how he should be approached when dealing with him.
'Even a student nurse was aware of the warnings and this would not have happened if this patient had been approached with care.
Hernando Puno, 52, (pictured) was jailed for nine months last May for sexually assaulting female colleagues
Dr Mwimbi was convicted of ill treatment by a care worker following a trial after jurors rejected his self defence plea
In a police interview Dr Mwimbi from Wythenshawe, Manchester said the patient had hit him and racially abused him so he had acted in 'self-defence'
Pictured: The outside of Blackpool Victoria Hospital where Dr Mwimbi worked
'After all your years of practice, you thought you knew better.'
Judge Lloyd said the patient had 'lashed out and spat at you in a terrible way'.
'No doubt you were surprised and appalled, but the fact is that as he was being restrained by carers you lost your temper and punched him in the temple and held him is a tight grip,' she added.
Judge Lloyd said Mwimbi had falsely accused the man's carers of 'putting their heads together and lying about what happened'.
'You have demonstrated a degree of arrogance and shown no remorse by continuing to deny any wrongdoing.'
Read More
Devout Christian doctor, 68, is convicted of punching a dementia patient in the head and pushing his face into a pillow after he was racially abused during medical consultation
The victim has 'regressed' since the incident making it harder for helpers to care for him, the court heard.
In her statement, the unnamed patient's mother said he 'becomes extremely agitated if he fear someone is going to hurt him again'.
Mwimbi, of Wythenshawe, Manchester, qualified as a doctor in Zambia in 1986.
He was convicted of ill-treatment by a care worker earlier this year after a jury rejected his claim to have been acting in self-defence.
Paul Humphries, defending, asked the judge to take into account that there had been a level of provocation by the patient.
'It would be upsetting for anyone who is racially abused and spat at - he was left covered in spittle,' he said.
'I do not think any good would be served by him going to jail.'
Blackpool Victoria Hospital has already been at the centre of a four-year police investigation into allegations of a 'culture of abuse' by staff towards patients on the stroke unit.
Last December senior nurse Catherine Hudson, 54, and junior colleague, Charlotte Wilmot, 48, were jailed for seven years and two months and three years respectively for conspiring to drug and ill-treat defenceless patients.
Marek Grabianowski, himself a senior nurse who at one stage ran the hospital's A&E department, was jailed for 14 months after he admitted conspiracy to steal drugs and perverting the course of justice.
Detectives are still investigating the suspicious death of Valerie Kneale, 75, who bled to death on the ward in November 2018 after suffering what officers believe was a sex attack.
A £20,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the conviction of the killer, but no-one has been brought to justice.
Detectives are still investigating the suspicious death of Valerie Kneale (pictured), 75, who bled to death on the ward in November 2018
Mwimbi, of Wythenshawe, Manchester, qualified as a doctor in Zambia in 1986
Pictured: Catherine Hudson, 54, was jailed for seven years and two months at Preston Crown Court for ill-treating patients
Pictured: Charlotte Wilmot, 48, was also jailed for conspiring to drug and ill-treat defenceless patients
Catherine Hudson (left), 54, and Charlotte Wilmot (right), 48, pictured leaving Preston Crown Court, where they were convicted
Pictured are Hudson (right) and Wilmot (left) exchanged messages joking about sedating their patients
Following the trial, Sazeeda Ismail, Senior Crown Prosecutor for North West England, said: 'Dr Xowi Mwimbi demonstrated a gross breach of his duty of care, when in anger he used excessive force against an extremely vulnerable man.
'His actions traumatised those who witnessed the incident. I would like to thank those witnesses for their quick action in intervening and reporting what they had seen.
'It is thanks to them that we have been able to bring Dr Mwimbi to justice for his despicable actions.'
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said: 'This was clearly an upsetting incident and we would like to apologise for the distress caused to the patient and their family, as well as colleagues who witnessed it, intervened and immediately reported it to the police.
'This doctor was covering a shift as a locum and not a permanent member of the team who place paramount importance on providing a caring, safe and respectful environment.
'We are very grateful the matter has been dealt with so quickly by all involved and reassure local people this is not the high standard of treatment they can expect from the Trust.'
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Culture Corner news portal”。http://congodemocraticrepublicofthe.tom-paine.com/news-01f599475.html
Related articles
Socialite Jasmine Hartin enjoys beach snuggle with electrician hunk
opinionsSocialite Jasmine Hartin has been seen enjoying a beach snuggle with her new mystery man.Ms Hartin w ...
【opinions】
Read moreUN investigators probe 14 Gaza aid staffers Israel had tied to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack
opinionsUNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. investigators are looking into allegations against 14 of the 19 staffers ...
【opinions】
Read moreJames, Lakers facing elimination Saturday. Magic, Pelicans and Heat seek home wins
opinionsNikola Jokic moved LeBron James out of the way as they battled for a rebound, grabbed the ball, got ...
【opinions】
Read more
Popular articles
- Company wins court ruling to continue development of Michigan factory serving EV industry
- J.D. Martinez makes his Mets debut after he was sidelined by back issues
- Solar panel plant coming to eastern North Carolina with 900 jobs
- Queen Mary of Denmark wears the palace's stunning crown jewels for the first time
- The fightback begins: Boss of London's Queen Mary University tells pro
- Well, would you look at that! Couple stunned to find secret 200
Latest articles
Jessica Biel CHOPS her long locks into a bob after book signing in Studio City
Moody Blues keyboard player Mike Pinder dies aged 82
Annie Kilner and Kyle Walker reveal touching meaning behind the name of their fourth son
Shirley MacLaine celebrates her landmark 90th birthday with low
Minnesota Uber and Lyft driver pay package beats deadline to win approval in Legislature
Oregon man sentenced to 50 years in the 1978 killing of a teenage girl in Alaska
LINKS
- Smart Health Care Hut Offers Residents Great Convenience in East China
- Children Experience Agrarian Culture in Central China's Hunan
- Nation to Promote Free HPV Vaccinations in More Regions
- Cultural and Natural Heritage Day Celebrated Across China
- China Int'l Big Data Industry Expo 2022 Opens Online in Guizhou
- China Focus: Multi
- China to Cultivate More Skilled Personnel in Manufacturing Sector
- Fuzhou Promotes Community
- 60,000 Youngsters Benefit from Eye Care Project of China's Red Cross Society
- Veterans Encouraged to Work as Teachers in China