Manitoba doctor pleads guilty to professional misconduct

(Pexels/Gustavo Fring)

A Manitoba doctor accused of professional misconduct has been reprimanded, fined, and barred from performing certain procedures after a slew of surgeries resulted in complications and injuries.

Doctor Zakaria Mohammad Abdullah Al-Moumen, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist, pleaded guilty in April at a hearing held by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba.

In its written decision issued in June, the college’s inquiry panel said the charges stem from four surgical procedures performed between 2020 and 2022.

According to the panel, Dr. Al-Moumen contravened standards of practice and the code of ethics and displayed a lack of knowledge, skill, and judgment during all four procedures.

Patient required emergency operation, colostomy bag: report

The first charge stemmed from a July 2020 cold-knife cone biopsy, meant to take a sample and ideally excise a potentially cancerous lesion from a patient.

However, the panel said Dr. Al-Moumen’s scalpel cut through her cervix – a complication he said he disclosed to the patient, though it was not documented in the patient’s record and she denied having been told.

The second patient underwent a fibroid removal in August 2022 which was complicated when the uterus was perforated, the panel wrote.

According to the report, Dr. Al-Moumen used a scope through the perforated uterus to assess, cut and remove pieces of the fibroid, which the panel said was ‘unsafe and inappropriate.’

Dr. Al-Moumen said he advised the patient and other members of the health-care team of the complications. However, the patient returned to hospital the next day in severe pain.

“She was assessed and found to have peritonitis secondary to bowel injury,” the report said.

She underwent emergency surgery to remove part of her bowel, which required a temporary colostomy bag until another surgery could be performed.

An October 2022 procedure meant to correct pelvic organ collapse in a third patient also sparked an investigation after she was readmitted to hospital later that month with necrotizing fasciitis, otherwise known as flesh-eating disease.

According to the panel, questions were raised by other doctors as to why a drain, which was placed near the patient’s buttock and into the vaginal vault space, was needed.

While investigating that incident, the college became aware of another adverse event involving a fourth patient who underwent the same procedure by Dr. Al-Moumen.

The report said that surgery was complicated by serious intra-operative bleeding, which lead to more post-surgery complications requiring another operation.

A consultant’s report noted there were deficiencies in Dr. Al-Moumen’s dictations and documentation making it difficult for them to the follow the details of the procedures performed.

Panel’s recommendation takes ‘restorative approach’

In its decision, the panel recommended Dr. Al-Moumen’s practice be limited and monitored while he seeks further education. He also must cover the costs of the $22,000 investigation, as well as the inquiry and further compliance monitoring.

The panel said its recommendation takes a ‘restorative approach,’ noting there were significant mitigating factors, including a lack of previous disciplinary history and a willingness to take proactive steps to improve his practice.

The report also noted Dr. Al-Moumen’s colleagues wrote letters of support, noting the deficiencies of care flagged during the investigations while serious do not represent the entirety of his medical practice.

“The approach allows for Dr. Al-Moumen to continue to provide needed medical services while ensuring protection of the public,” the decision said.

CTV News reached out to Dr. Al-Moumen regarding the decision but was told he would not comment on the matter.

The panel’s full report can be read on the college’s website.