the GMC in the past week taking issue with her stance on vaccines.
Private doctor attacks GMC over =91witch hunt=92
by Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail Aug 19 2011
A DOCTOR who specialises in treating patients with ME and chronic
fatigue syndrome has called for an inquiry into the General Medical
Council after misconduct charges against her were dropped.
Dr Sarah Myhill, a private GP based in Powys, has spoken out after all
restrictions on her license were removed following a series of GMC
hearings.
The hearings followed complaints about the content of her website and
her management of a patient.
In a statement to her supporters, Dr Myhill accused the regulatory
body of =93showing all the symptoms of an advanced senile dementia=94.
And she said an inquiry is needed to investigate =93GMC incompetence,
law breaking and misfeasance in public office=94.
Over the last 10 years Dr Myhill has faced the prospect of seven
fitness to practise hearings =96 the most recent was scheduled to last
25 days. These hearings have been cancelled with no case to answer.
Dr Myhill said: =93The GMC has been incompetently prosecuting me since 2001=
.
=93In doing so it has broken its own procedures and the laws of the
land. Allegations against me have been vexatious, inconsequential and
often untrue.
=93The GMC is a dysfunctional organisation, not fit for purpose.=94
The latest case against Dr Myhill was prompted by complaints about the
information she provided on her website and that she had recommended a
B12 injection to a patient.
A GMC hearing in April 2010 imposed a series of interim restrictions
on Dr Myhill, including forbidding her from prescribing any medicines
and forcing her to remove information from her website.
The panel said, at the time, that the Llangunllo-based doctor=92s
practice posed a threat to patient health.
At a later hearing, in October 2010, she was banned from practising
medicine for 12 months to allow the GMC to investigate her methods.
At the start of 2011, Dr Myhill was reinstated to the medical
register, although nine conditions, including not prescribing
medicines outside of their licensed use or limits and keeping a
detailed log whenever she personally prescribes or advises a
prescription, were imposed.
These were removed from her license last month. The GMC panel said:
=93In the circumstances, the panel has determined that it is not
necessary for the protection of members of the public, in the public
interest or in your own interests for your registration to remain
subject to an interim order.=94
In a statement to her supporters, who described the GMC=92s action
against her as a =93witch hunt=94, Dr Myhill said she believes had been
targeted because she treats ME as a physical, rather than a
psychological disorder.
And reflecting on the hearings over the last 16 months, Dr Myhill, a
former NHS GP, said: =93It is not for the GMC to judge whether one
doctor=92s opinion is better than another=92s. My opinions, which are
evidence based from the scientific literature, have been central to
the recovery of thousands of ME patients. In its summing up of my
case, the GMC states that I have substantially improved the health of
70% of ME sufferers. This is considerably better than the results of
the now discredited regimes of graded exercise therapy and cognitive
behaviour therapy. Clearly ME is a physical disorder requiring
physical treatment.=94
The GMC told the Western Mail it does not comment on individual cases.
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