A leading member of the General Medical Council has hit out at Frank Dobson's reaction to the Bristol baby deaths case, calling it "justice based on mass hysteria".

Dr Krishna Korlipara, a leading member of the doctors' regulatory body, said people should not rush to condemn the GMC's verdict over the three doctors involved in the death of 29 babies at Bristol Royal Infirmary.

The GMC found all were guilty of serious professional misconduct for proceeding with heart operations despite a very high mortality rate. Two were banned from operating and another, Dr Janardan Dhasmana, was barred from operating on children for three years.

Health Secretary Frank Dobson said all three should have been struck off the medical register. The two who were struck off had retired.

Danger

Dr Korlipara, who was not on the GMC's Bristol babies panel, said there was often an awful lot more to a case than the public heard. The GMC has been hearing the case for eight months, making it the longest in its history.

Dr Janardan Dhasmana: still allowed to operate

He said Dr Dhasmana had been barred from operating on children, but no evidence had been presented that he was a danger to adult patients. For this reason, he had been allowed to continue operating on them.

"If he is struck off you are condemning the adult population of his services when there is no proof of incompetence in that field and at a time when there is a shortage of operative skills," he said.

"If you are going to perform justice based on mass hysteria, you run a grave danger of surgeons not operating at all. The balance of justice must be fair and be seen to be be fair not only for patients but for doctors as well," he added.

League tables

The British Medical Association did not directly criticise the GMC ruling, but said the recently introduced league tables on hospital's clinical performance would have identified the problem before it got out of hand.

The BMA is pushing for tougher self-regulation of the medical profession.