Doctor suspended for sterilising woman without permission
A consultant gynaecologist who admitted sterilising a woman without her permission has been suspended from practising for 12 months.
The woman - known as Patient A - was sterilised by Dr David Sim following an emergency caesarean section.
Dr Sim previously admitted that the sterilisation was not necessary to save the woman's life or prevent harm to her health.
The procedure took place at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry in September 2021.
On 1 December, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) found his fitness to practice was impaired.
The tribunal previously heard Dr Sim and the patient had discussed sterilisation twice over a period of years, but the patient had never consented or expressed any wish to undergo sterilisation.
When she required the emergency caesarean section, Dr Sim delivered the baby and blocked the patient's fallopian tubes to permanently impair their normal function.
Dr Sim previously admitted to the tribunal that this was in violation of the woman's reproductive rights.
Source: BBC News, 5 December 2023