'Doctor thought dying girl, five, had chicken pox'

A doctor accused of misdiagnosing a dying girl's condition accepted she made mistakes while working under "very busy" conditions in A&E.

But registrar Nivedita Bajaj denied the parents' claim that she thought the child was suffering from chicken pox and as a result did not give her the right treatment and lost vital time.

Five-year-old Ayema Malik, who suffered from a rare blood disorder, died of septicaemia and clinical shock hours after the bacteria spread through her body causing organ failure, the General Medical Council heard.

Consultant Gerald Hanson and Dr Bajaj missed the signs of serious illness at the Central Middlesex Hospital in March 2007, it is claimed.

Giving evidence, Dr Bajaj said: "I was busy with A&E. There were three cases who were asthmatic, who if I had not given them some attention would have slipped into respiratory failure. I was pulled out to see these emergencies." Peter Atherton for the GMC said: "Can I suggest that what the parents have said is right. Because you thought it was chicken pox you didn't think anything else needed to be done?'

Dr Bajaj said: "I completely deny that. This was not my diagnosis. I have no explanation why the parents are saying things differently."

At 3am, the registrar contacted her superior, Mr Hanson, who allegedly told her to start a course of drugs. But his advice to Dr Bajaj "was not sufficiently clear and specific", the GMC has been told. Mr Hanson has admitted he did not consult a paediatric specialist for advice. He denies failing to give Dr Bajaj clear and specific advice.

The hearing continues.