A FORMER patient of Dr Michael Watt who underwent an invasive medical procedure unnecessarily is today mounting a legal challenge to overturn a decision that led to his removal from the medical register.
Belfast woman Danielle O'Neill (38) is seeking a judicial review against the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) in England, the body which approved the Belfast consultant's application for "voluntary erasure".
The MPTS decision meant a full and open misconduct hearing into safety concerns about his clinical work could not proceed.
The retired consultant neurologist was based at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for more than 20 years and is at the centre of the biggest patient recall in Northern Ireland. A public inquiry is ongoing into 'governance' concerns about his work.
Ms O'Neill instructed solicitor Claire McKeegan to take legal action, in the hope of getting "accountability" as she believes a hearing can take place in the consultant's absence.
The former Stormont worker said her life "fell apart" five years ago after Dr Watt performed a procedure known as an epidural blood patch - where your own blood in injected into your lower spine to relieve low pressure headaches - when she didn't need it.
She was prescribed the wrong drug treatments for years.
"I was so heavily medicated I didn't know what was going on," Ms O'Neill said.
"I was on anti-epiletic drugs, beta blockers, diazpam and tramadol - I was on 35 pills a day. But they couldn't give me a diagnosis."
In June, she received a letter from Belfast trust chief executive, Dr Cathy Jack, apologising for receiving "various medications, treatments and procedures, that were not required".
"For this I am truly sorry. I wish to emphasise to you that you did nothing wrong and that this is not your fault. There is nothing that you, as a patient, could or should have done to anticipate what was going to happen when you trusted Dr Watt," Dr Jack wrote.
Ms O'Neill is one of 12 patient cases linked to Dr Watt selected by the General Medical Council (GMC) for further investigation.
Last month the GMC said it had "reluctantly" decided to not challenge the MPTS decision allowing the consultant to remove himself from the register.
Ms O'Neill told The Irish News that the legal route is their only way to get answers.
Ms McKeegan of Phoenix Law represents other patients affected who make up the 'Neurology Recall Patient Support group', of which Ms O'Neill is a member.
She said the move had not "taken into account that its hearing was the only mechanism which can publicly examine the alleged clinical failings of Dr Watt."
