Overview

• The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester suspended Dr Premila Thampi for three weeks after finding her guilty of serious professional misconduct.
• Tribunal members concluded she pressured a first-time mother into an unwanted forceps delivery despite her explicit request for a caesarean section.
• Colleagues at Milton Keynes University Hospital testified that Dr Thampi invoked her seniority to override the patient’s refusal of instrumental assistance.
• The patient alleged the forceps procedure inflicted head and facial injuries on her newborn and left her emotionally traumatised.
• The ruling has prompted calls for stricter enforcement of informed consent and safeguards against hierarchical coercion in obstetric care.