FOREIGN Secretary William Hague is presenting a petition to parliament calling for a Scottish doctor struck off in relation to Iraqi prisoner abuse to be reinstated.
Dr Derek Keilloh, an Aberdeen University graduate who served as a medical officer in the Army, was barred from the profession in December last year.
A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing found he was guilty of lying about the condition of Baha Mousa, the Iraqi hotelier who died in 2003 after suffering “gratuitous violence” in British custody.
Dr Keilloh, 38, told a later hearing he only saw dried blood around Mr Mousa’s nose, but he was later found to have 93 injuries.
But patients of Dr Keilloh, who worked as a GP in North Yorkshire, have launched a petition calling for him to be reinstated, describing him as a “caring, excellent doctor”.
Campaign
William Hague, MP for Richmond and Yorkshire, has now agreed to present the petition, which has more than 1,000 signatures, to parliament.
Sara Webster, a former patient of the GP who has helped run the campaign to reinstate him, said she owed her life to his accurate diagnosis.
She said: “Although we now realise there is little chance of us getting our excellent doctor back, we wished to show our gratitude by continuing to campaign.
“I owe this to him – I would not be here now is it was not for his ability to listen and diagnose accurately.”
Dr Keilloh has always denied any cover up and said he had no knowledge detainees were being mistreated in Army custody.
Appeal
The doctor was told by his legal team any appeal in the courts against the MPTS decision would be unlikely to succeed.
He has said: “I am very grateful for the support of my former patients and colleagues showing their faith in me by creating and signing this campaign.
“I was extremely disappointed with the outcome of the GMC/MPTS hearing and also the legal advice against the prospect of appeal.”
The petition given to Hague had more than 1,034 signatures, and a further online petition has collected more than 1,000 signatures from around the world.
