Trust me–I'm a doctor

Last week Dr Patrick Ngosa, a Zambian obstetrician and gynaecologist who had been working in British hospitals for the past six years, was struck off the medical register.

The case has provoked huge press interest, initially because of the decision not to name the doctor involved. When the news first broke there were outraged headlines such as “Let's name the diseased docs,” in the News of the World and “Fury over AIDS doc ‘cover-up”’ in the Daily Mirror condemning the decision.

Nicola Davies, QC for Dr Ngosa, accused the press of a “witch hunt.” She argued that the doctor was also a patient and deserved to have his medical condition kept confidential. In disgust the Sun retorted: “What right does this man have to privacy? The public has a right to know every fact …