A teenager underwent surgery to remove a testicle following an alleged misdiagnosis by a general practitioner (GP), a hearing revealed. The incident, one of two under scrutiny by the Medical Council, involved Dr. Alicia Marton Martinez, who worked as a locum GP with SouthDoc, an out-of-hours GP service, three years ago.
Dr. Marton Martinez faces allegations of professional misconduct and subpar performance in the treatment of a 14-year-old boy and a three-week-old infant. The boy’s mother recounted how her son woke up with a swollen testicle and severe pain, leading her to suspect testicular torsion, a critical condition where blood supply to the testicle is disrupted.
Despite the mother’s concerns, Dr. Marton Martinez reportedly dismissed the situation as normal teenage boy discomfort, advising basic remedies over the phone. Subsequent visits to the clinic yielded similar advice, with the boy eventually requiring testicle removal at Cork University Hospital.
Expert testimony indicated a missed opportunity to save the testicle if immediate emergency referral had occurred. The treatment was criticized as incompetent, with the use of a cold compress potentially exacerbating the boy’s suffering.
In a separate incident, a father described how Dr. Marton Martinez downplayed his three-week-old baby’s symptoms, only to be corrected after suggesting inappropriate medication. A different GP swiftly referred the baby to hospital, where a diagnosis of viral meningitis was made, highlighting the severity of the situation.
The inquiry highlighted the GP’s absence at the hearing and lack of legal representation, with a previous undertaking not to practice medicine during investigations. The proceedings were adjourned for resumption at a later date.