Harlequins' Tom Williams “Bloodgate” doctor Wendy Chapman allowed to practice again
The ‘Bloodgate’ scandal doctor Wendy Chapman (who cut wing Tom Williams’ lip in order to conceal a faked blood injury) has been allowed to practice her medical career by the General Medical Council (GMC), after a disciplinary panel let her off with only a formal warning.
After her involvement in the most sordid scandal in the history of the Rugby Union, she initially lied about her involvement regarding the incident. The Bloodgate scandal has brought different stories and issues among the general public which made the scandal even more important, as people are of the view that doctors are supposed to save lives and not to harm people (the Hippocratic Oath, anyone?) Later after the incident, the doctor was suspended by the General Medical Council for an unknown period of time.
For people who are unaware of the Bloodgate scandal, here’s a refresher: Harlequins’ Tom Williams bit a fake blood capsule in a match against Irish rugby side Leinster in the Heineken Cup quarterfinal last year. This was done because the side wanted specialist goal kicker Nick Evans on the pitch (and a substitution could only be made if a blood replacement was made), as Williams’ and Harlequins manager Dean Richards’ side was losing the quarterfinal match by 6-5. At the time, Doctor Wendy Chapman was taking care of all the medical issues for the match and when the player was brought for instant medical aid, Dr. Chapman made a cut on his lip to cover up his use of the fake blood capsule. Later, she was accused and suspended by the medical council. After the disruptive incident, the match was won by the Leinster team. It is also to be noted that after the incident, Wendy initially supported the club in their lie, stating that the injury had indeed been genuine. However, later she accepted her mistake and told the council that she had cut Williams’ lip.
The General Medical Council has come up with a report and is of the view that at the time of the occurrence, Wendy Chapman was not in the right mental frame of mind, as she was very disturbed and passing through a major depressive disorder phase. It is also been told by the Medical Council that the doctor was waiting for her breast cancer test reports which made her more upset. Doctor Chapman is presently recovering from breast cancer surgery. While talking about the mental and physical fitness of Doctor Chapman, the Chairman of GMC, Dr. Brian Alderman, expressed his views and told the media that her current mental health condition is much better than before, but at the time of cutting the player’s lip she was suffering from severe depression. Alderman added that the case was exceptional and the panel has come to the conclusion that her intention was not to harm the patient but she did it because she was mentally unstable at that time. The chairman added the following statement: “The panel considers it to be in the public interest to formally indicate that your conduct was unacceptable and should not be repeated.”
When Dr. Wendy Chapman was asked about her feelings regarding the matter, she said she was pleased the ’18-month’ nightmare was behind her, and that she was extremely grateful that she was allowed to practice medicine again.
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