A FORMER Basildon Hospital consultant anaesthetist once suspected of carrying out 40 mercy killings was struck off the medical register for removing a patient's ventilator tube without the consent of his family.
Dr Ann David, 45, of Station Crescent, Rayleigh, did not attend the General Medical Council (GMC) hearing in London, which decided she was guilty of serious professional misconduct.
She had previously lost her bid to be voluntarily erased from the register, which would have prevented evidence being submitted to the hearing.
Announcing the panel's verdict, chairman Professor Michael Whitehouse said: "Dr David's behaviour in causing the death of a patient is fundamentally incompatible with continuing to be a registered medical practitioner.
"Her fault in ending his life, whatever her motives, is very serious.
"It is imperative that a doctor differentiates between actively ending the patient's life - an unlawful act - and letting a patient die without distress.
"Accordingly, the panel has determined that Dr David's name should be erased from the register."
Published Thursday, November 17, 2005
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