Doctor in MMR scare 'abused trust' of families

Published on Thursday 28 January 2010 21:34

THE doctor who sparked the MMR scare "showed a callous disregard" for the suffering of children and "abused his position of trust", a disciplinary panel has ruled.

Dr Andrew Wakefield's conduct more than a decade ago brought the medical profession "into disrepute" by taking blood samples from youngsters at his son's birthday party in return for payments of 5.

The doctor, who was absent from yesterday's General Medical Council (GMC) hearing, faces being struck off. The panel decided the allegations against him could amount to serious professional misconduct, which will be decided at a later date.

The GMC also found that Dr Wakefield "failed in his duties as a responsible consultant" and went against the interests of children in his care in conducting research.

He further acted dishonestly and was misleading and irresponsible in the way he described a study, which was later published in the Lancet medical journal, the GMC said.

In the late 1990s, Dr Wakefield and two other doctors said they believed they had uncovered a link between the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccination, and bowel disease and autism. The reporting and discussion of the claims sparked a massive drop in the number of children given the combined vaccination.

The GMC inquiry was mainly concerned with the manner in which Dr Wakefield undertook the research, rather than the resulting controversy. Thirty-six witnesses gave evidence at the hearing, which has reportedly cost more than 1 million.

Dr Wakefield said he was "extremely disappointed", adding: "The allegations against me and against my colleagues are both unfounded and unjust … and I invite anyone to examine the contents of these proceedings and come to their own conclusion."

He said he was dismayed that two of his colleagues had been "dragged through this process".

Dr Wakefield was not at the hearing but later he emerged from the GMC offices in central London to make the statement, surrounded by supporters who waved placards and chanted: "For he's a jolly good fellow."

The GMC said the doctor took blood samples at his son's birthday party in the late 1990s and then laughed about it during a US presentation in March 1999.

Panel chairman Dr Surendra Kumar said: "Despite your explanation that you did not consider it unethical to obtain blood in this way, the panel found that it was unethical and that you did not have ethical approval for such an undertaking.

"It also found that you caused blood to be taken in an inappropriate social setting and you showed a callous disregard for the distress and pain you knew or ought to have known the children involved might suffer.

"You abused your position of trust as a medical practitioner."

Dr Wakefield was an honorary consultant in experimental gastroenterology at the Royal Free Hospital in London at the time of his research. He and two colleagues involved in the research, professors John Walker-Smith and Simon Murch, who are also being investigated by the GMC, deny all charges against them.

TIMELINE

February 1998: A study led by Dr Andrew Wakefield, from London's Royal Free Hospital, suggests the MMR vaccine might be linked to an increased risk of autism and bowel disorders in children.

&#149 April 1998: A Finnish study finds no evidence of autism being associated with MMR.

&#149 April 2000: Dr Wakefield and Professor John O'Leary tell the US Congress there is "compelling evidence" of a link between autism and MMR.

&#149 March 2005: Japanese scientists say they have strong evidence that the MMR vaccination is not linked to a rise in autism.

&#149 March 2008: Researchers find no evidence that children with autism leak more proteins from their intestines than normal children.