AN ACCIDENT and emergency department doctor put the needs of his stomach before his duty of care to sick patients at two hospitals in Wales, an inquiry heard yesterday.

Suresh Siddappa Kudari, aged 54, who has worked at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, and at Caerphilly Miners Hospital, went to lunch when he should have been looking after a triple by-pass patient who had been brought in with a suspected heart attack, it was claimed.

Sarah Plaschkes, General Medical Council barrister, told its professional conduct committee that on another occasion the doctor went for breakfast despite the pleas of a nurse who did not want to be left alone in charge of a busy ward.

Miss Plaschkes told the London hearing concerns were first expressed about Dr Kudari after an incident in the A & E department of the Caerphilly District Miners Hospital on April 25, 1998.

A woman rushed into the hospital, saying there was a young man outside who had apparently taken an overdose of the anti-depressant Amitriptyline.

She said staff nurse Karen Smith told Dr Kudari she was bringing the patient into the hospital, but when she wheeled him into A & E, she found the doctor had left without informing her or the other staff nurse on duty - leaving the patient with no doctor to treat him.

The patient then had to be transferred to East Glamorgan Hospital. Miss Plaschkes told the committee that after a disciplinary hearing following the incident, it was decided the doctor should be transferred to the Royal Gwent under supervision. However, on April 30, 1998, she said, he failed to carry out instructions given to him by a senior colleague concerning a patient who had been brought in with a "crush injury" to her hand.

Dr Kudari, of Grange Street, Port Talbot, had been asked to organise treatment for the patient, but failed to do so, she said.

Despite this Dr Kudari returned to Caerphilly Miners Hospital at the end of his supervised period.

Miss Plaschkes added: "Unfortunately, within a few days of his return, another incident occurred during which the doctor went for breakfast in the staff canteen despite being told by a nurse that she was unhappy with that situation since two other on-duty doctors were not at work in the morning - one because of a family funeral and the other because of illness."

In fairness to the doctor, said Miss Plaschkes, there had been no disciplinary problems following the last incident on March 8, 1999.

Dr Kudari, who is attending the hearing, admits failing to carry out instructions regarding the treatment at the Royal Gwent Hospital of the patient who had sustained a crush injury to her hand. He denies all other allegations.

The hearing continues.