A teenager underwent surgery to have one of his testicles removed after an alleged misdiagnosis by a general practitioner (GP), a hearing revealed. The incident, along with another case, was under scrutiny by the Medical Council involving Dr. Alicia Marton Martinez, who practiced as a locum GP at SouthDoc, an out-of-hours GP service, three years ago.
Dr. Marton Martinez faces accusations of professional misconduct and substandard performance in her treatment of a 14-year-old boy and a three-week-old infant. The boy’s mother described how her son woke up one morning with a swollen testicle and severe pain, leading her to suspect testicular torsion, a critical condition where blood flow to the testicle is blocked.
Upon contacting SouthDoc, the mother received advice from Dr. Marton Martinez over the phone, dismissing the situation as normal for a teenage boy and suggesting a cold compress and ibuprofen. Despite a brief clinic visit later, the boy’s pain persisted, and he eventually had to undergo testicle removal at Cork University Hospital.
During the inquiry, Professor Tom O’Dowd stated that an immediate referral to an emergency department could have saved the testicle with a 90% success rate. He criticized the treatment as incompetent and believed the cold compress worsened the boy’s discomfort.
In a separate case, a father recounted how Dr. Marton Martinez downplayed his three-week-old baby’s symptoms, later diagnosed with viral meningitis after being referred to the hospital by another doctor. Prof. O’Dowd condemned the GP’s actions, stating the baby was on the brink of circulatory collapse.
Dr. Marton Martinez, who did not attend the hearing and lacks legal representation, previously agreed to refrain from practicing medicine during the investigation. The inquiry was adjourned and is set to resume next Tuesday.
