Blasted Cry Baby

Firstly, I found it interesting that those who were injured in Shrewsbury blast are due to attend their Accident Emergency at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. Of course, the doctor who may well be oncall is none other than Mohammend Asha. Asha was involved in a hearing related to conspiracy to cause an explosion but was subsequently cleared.

"Adrian Osborne, trust spokesman, said: “He is currently on rotation in A&E, but as a junior doctor in training he will undertake rotation in different departments to gain the skills and experience needed in the NHS."

Patients can be reassured that they can be treated by a man who hugs terrorists after a criminal hearing. They can also be reassured that Dr Asha a man with such second hand experience of blasts will be able to provide them all with the highest standard of care. We must congratulate the Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals for encouraging the career of a man the secret services have questions over. Of course, this would only happen in England. In India, he would have been deported back to Jordan. A source told the Daily Mail

"But a security source told The Sun that although Dr Asha was cleared by a jury, 'serious doubts remained about his continued presence in this country'.

Why rely on the GMC here?! While the GMC have numerous doctors in their clutches for minor issues, Asha appears to be their golden boy. Bravo GMC.

On observation of the rest of the medical world this week, they are still circling the drains and looking down into the a large cesspit. Professor Michael Baum who cried in front of hundreds of people at a convention has been nominated for the BMJ Lifetime Achievement Awards. Professor Cry Baby is currently convinced that everyone is after him due to his comments made about Palestinian Prisoners. Perhaps when he wins, he will do a Halle Berry and blub even more. May I suggest that a large supply of Kleenex is available.

Then there is Professor Wendy Savage. Not really sure what she has achieved in her lifetime bar being responsible for writing nasty emails sent throughout the General Medical Council. I felt that it was appropriate to post a piece written sometime ago for those who wish to vote for the old bat. Savage though is infamous for creeping up to David Southall and implying that she supports him. David Southall's trail of supporters adore her because they assume she is someone important. Of course, she is really just an old outdated bat. Then again, outdated old bats need to feel important especially with such a bad hair cut.

In truth, when you are in the media, everyone wants a bit of their limelight. Wendy is no different. Anyhow, the original post complete with designer stork can be read here.

Wendy Savage is full of contradictions.

To her, character assassination is often a good thing when she does it. This is possibly because she currently glides at an atmosphere higher than the rest of us common Storks. In the public forum she propagates herself as heroine to the masses. The problem with most heroines to the masses is this, there is always a different side to them. This is what we wanted to examine. The different faces of Wendy Savage is rather interesting.

We looked her up on Google UK to see what was present on old Wendy and lets face it she is getting on a bit and has a reputation to maintain. We wondered if she stood up to our scrutiny. Our interest in her is to assess the quality of people chosen by the GMC to judge the profession. Wendy was of course a GMC Committee member in the days that the GMC was hit by scandal.


Emails have been floating in about Wendy Savage. All were less than complimentary. Wendy was recently referred to in the Times.

One lady told Finlay Scott "Don't you think that the reputation of the GMC has taken enough stick and been damaged sufficiently without asking for trouble by employing doctors such as Wendy Savage as members?" She went onto say "She was suspended from duty on full pay for ages and ages. Is she trying to keep the birth rate down in the East End of London or is she trying to stick up for the rights of women?When Wendy Savage urges women to report their GP for not referring them for an abortion she does not appear to consider that perhaps the GP is also considering that abortion may psychologically damage the woman for life.Yet she is actively encouraging women to publicise the name of their GP who does not refer them by putting his name down on a list in a surgery. Why do you threaten and victimise decent doctors who whistleblow yet reward doctors like Wendy Savage who actively seek to destroy life?" [ comments by an ex nurse]

She gets a glowing write up on the Asha website. The BMJ points out

" In 1985-6, she came under fire for her management of five obstetrics cases. Her determined belief that women should be allowed to chose their method of treatment and delivery opposed the views of conservative theory, that of "doctor knows best." She was charged with incompetence and suspended from clinical work and teaching. Some of her obstetrical colleagues who disagreed with her management fought, often behind the scenes, to remove her from the London Hospital, where she worked. After a 15 month suspension, Savage was reinstated as both doctor and lecturer in 1986".

While she believed that all should be forgiven in her case, she was not so kind to two members who had previous problems with the GMC. We think the problem with old Wendy is that she raises her nose so high that she cannot actually see who she is looking down on. We are of the view that this is the reason she misses the point in most cases.


This is one face of Wendy Savage, the face that she would like everyone to see. Much like the picture of Dorian Grey, there is always another side to people. The cosmetic media image is certainly not the image portrayed within the internal emails at the GMC. On the 24th July 2001, Wendy Savage could not contain herself much longer. Tempted by the internet, she sent a grossly defamatory and malicious email regarding a second committee member. Wendy certainly does not know the art of BCC [Blind copying] and the GMC certainly is not aware of protecting individual data and email addresses. In the interests of supporting the GMC's policy on data protection, we feature what they provided. Thankyou GMC!

Anyhow, Wendy began to aimlessly hit her keys in July 2001. Clearly, Shipman had been convicted by then and she had lots of time on her hands at the GMC Women's Group. Her thumping of the keyboard in a frenzy resulted in a missive that she sent round to all the individuals above. The fact remains that the member she attacked was possibly more dynamic and intelligent than Wendy. We can only assume some mild jealously as the cause of his catfight.

It is clear Wendy had a blip in her demeanor on the 24th July 2001. For anyone interested in the GMC's Whos Who email addresses, just refer to the above. Wendy commenced the gossip session as women do.

She wrote

" I have not sat on any committees with xx and so I do not have any first hand knowledge of how she functions".

She then wrote to Dr Iver

" I should let you know that I am concerned about her mental health. I also enclose the email I sent to the women's group of the GMC before our meeting last month".

An inquiry then stated

" Wendy Savage thought that this seemed over the top and that it was a result of Dr X paranoia, and could not believe that this accusation was true".

Dr Iver then writes back

" To many of us this seems to constitute the denigration of a colleague before other colleagues, including many of her electorate who read Hospital Doctor, and therefore to be contrary to the Guidance in Good Medical Practice. I have known Dr x for years and having been myself in General Practice, my opinion is that she does not have a mental health problem. For you to raise this is unacceptable and questionable. I have no intention of discussing Dr X health or her personal affairs either part or present, with you or anyone else. Furthermore I would endorse her fundamental right to the enjoyment of personal privacy"

Bravo Dr Iver!

We ask ourselves the following question, as a GMC Committee member who rather rapidly made rash assumptions about a colleague's mental health, what sort of member was she? Indeed, is this the way she conducted herself in her day to day activities as a doctor and a GMC member? Did she judge doctor's mental health on a "scowl made towards her"? Actually, if we all had to face Wendy Savage, we would scowl as well. Does that mean we are all mentally ill? This rash decision making on very limited evidence is disturbing to everyone.


Is this the reason why real gynaecologists disowned her? Is this the sort of rapid assessment she did when advising on abortion? Now these are all questions we must ask because clearly the GMC did not feel able to ask it.

So what are the many faces of Wendy Savage? To quote a lady who worked at the GMC once

"Savage is just a nasty old woman, an interferer and someone who tries to fit up her colleagues with psychiatric labels and also tried to gather others into her web of deceit". That is a rather savage critique but probably justified given the evidence we have had to hold back from public view. One would have expected better of Wendy Savage, a lady with a position to maintain. The problem with positions is that it is rather easy to topple off that specific position.

The problem with " paranoia" is that one never knows what else we have up our sleeves to expose next week. Well, Wendy Savage doesn't know anyway. We believe she spent too much time in that women's group gossiping in this manner. Perhaps that is why the GMC never functioned well at all during her time. Too much talking in gaggles of women and not enough work.

Our final question is this, how many babies died due to an inadequate and rapid assessment of the situation? Was an abortion recommended if the woman scowled at Wendy Savage? As a yahoo group message stated "Dr Wendy Savage of Doctors for a Woman's Choice on Abortion said that women should be able to request the procedure at any stage of their pregnancy. The only right about this woman is her name".