A veteran paramedic has been sacked after trying to remove a ping pong ball from inside a woman’s body in a move slammed as ‘inappropriate’ by his employers.
Bryce Duggan first started with Ambulance Tasmania in 1977 but was sacked after he conducted an ‘improper’ examination at the woman’s home in December 2020.
According to a Tasmanian Industrial Commission (TIC) decision, Mr Duggan lost his job over the incident in June 2022 and later filed an unfair dismissal case.
He claims he never attempted to remove the ball and that it was ‘quite common’ for paramedics to help dislodge items such as Lego, insects and sex toys.
After arriving at the woman’s home at 4.40am, Mr Duggan examined her with a torch and a pair of Magill forceps to see if he could remove the object.
In his statement to investigators, he said a female volunteer ambulance officer helped and was in attendance throughout the entire exam.
He said the patient was adamant that she did not want to go to hospital and that she wanted Mr Duggan to try to remove the ball before she would consider going.
‘The patient said to me that she wanted me to have a look at where the object was to ascertain whether I could remove the object,’ Mr Duggan said in his statement.
A veteran paramedic has been sacked after trying to remove a ping pong ball from inside a woman’s body in a move slammed as ‘inappropriate’ by his employers (stock image)
Mr Duggan said he told the woman there was more appropriate equipment to treat the issue in hospital and transported her to the Royal Hobart Hospital (pictured)
‘I said to her that I would have a look, however if I formed the view that I could not visualise the object, she would need to come to hospital.’
Mr Duggan said the McGill forceps, which he warmed up under water, were the only piece of equipment available to him during the call-out.
The former paramedic said he ‘tapped’ the ping pong ball with the forceps and quickly realised that it would not be easily removed.
‘I quickly removed the forceps and informed the patient that it would not be possible to remove the foreign object and that to make an attempt would be beyond my role and would risk causing the patient further damage,’ he said in his statement.
Mr Duggan said he told the woman there was more appropriate equipment to treat the issue in hospital and transported her to the Royal Hobart Hospital.
Ambulance Tasmania said the examination of the nature undertaken was ‘improper’ and not conduct which a paramedic should have undertaken.
It also stated that Mr Duggan’s attempts to remove the ball – which the former paramedic denies doing – was outside his authority of practice.
‘The Respondent asserts that this is a significant breach and a valid reason for termination,’ TIC president David Barclay noted.
Ambulance Tasmania said the examination of the nature undertaken was ‘improper’ and not conduct which a paramedic should have undertaken (stock image)
Mr Barclay said Mr Duggan had attempted to minimise unfavourable evidence and was ‘prone to exaggeration’ in respect to matters that were in his favour.
He found that it had been unnecessary for paramedics to attend the home in the first place and that the patient had been triaged as the lowest category of seriousness.
Mr Barclay agreed with Ambulance Tasmania that Mr Duggan had tried to remove the ping pong ball during the examination.
‘Overall, I accept that he does not think he did anything wrong even though he was not trained to remove the object, he did not have the tools to remove the object, and that there was no urgency and therefore no need for him to undertake the attempted removal of the object,’ Mr Barclay concluded.
‘His failure to accept that he did anything wrong is particularly concerning.’
Mr Barclay noted that attempts to remove the ball were made without appropriate training or instrument and had been outside his scope of practice.
Mr Barclay upheld the decision to terminate his employment, noting that Mr Duggan had a history of ‘inappropriate or questionable conduct’ at work.
This view had been formed following several incidents, including Mr Duggan unlawfully carrying capsicum spray at work, twice using ambulances to spread manure on his property and accusations of sexual harassment.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk