Radiologist who reviewed HSE patient scans had medical licence revoked in two countries
- Dignity 4Patients
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Dr Sattar Kadhem provided reports on Irish patients until 2024, despite Sweden and Norway revoking his licence in 2023 for misreading images
By Shauna Bowers - 25/08/2026 - The Irish Times - [Ireland]
A radiologist reviewed scans for HSE patients through a company, despite having his licence revoked in two countries after he was found to have misread imaging.
Dr Sattar Kadhem had his medical licence revoked by the Swedish medical regulator in June 2023, followed by the Norwegian regulator soon afterwards.
However, Kadhem, who is registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK, continued to read scans through a teleradiology company called Hexamark in the UK until late last year.
The consultant radiologist provided radiology reports for Irish patients through Hexamark for diagnostic imaging company Affidea Ireland until September 2024.
The HSE funds Affidea Ireland to provide diagnostic scans, particularly ultrasounds, to increase community capacity and reduce demand on hospitals.
According to the company, during times of high demand or reduced local consultant availability, it uses third-party teleradiology providers located outside of the State.
The Swedish regulator found Kadhem made mistakes when reviewing patient scans, including missing a large blood clot, air trapped in a patient’s lungs, bone abnormalities, a spine fracture and misdiagnosing a bowel obstruction, according to a report in the London-based Times last year.
The report was part of a joint investigation by The Times, The Irish Times, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and other media outlets into doctors who practised in some countries, despite being struck off medical registers in other countries.
Following The Times report, Kadhem was fired from his job at Hexamark and referred to the GMC.
A spokeswoman for Affidea Ireland said the radiologist provided “periodic reporting services” for Affidea.
“In September 2024, following matters identified through Affidea’s clinical governance and oversight processes, Affidea commissioned a comprehensive independent review of Dr Kadhem’s work as a precautionary patient safety measure,” the spokeswoman said.
“As part of this review, 100 per cent of the reports completed by Dr Kadhem for Affidea were independently audited by a team of sub-specialist consultant radiologists, under the oversight of the responsible medical director.
“The review found that all reports were of a satisfactory standard, with no patient safety concerns identified.”
The spokeswoman said all clinicians providing services for the company “are subject to robust credentialing, governance, quality assurance and patient safety processes, supported by ongoing clinical oversight”.
“Affidea’s radiology services are underpinned by consultant credentialing, continuous quality assurance programmes, regular clinical audit and structured peer review,” she said.
“Affidea remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of clinical governance, patient safety and quality of care across all of its services.”
Kadhem declined to answer questions from The Irish Times, stating the matters “remain subject to an ongoing GMC process”, adding that he will “continue to comply with all requirements and conditions” issued by the UK regulator.
A spokeswoman for the Irish Medical Council confirmed that medical professionals working outside the State through telemedicine companies do not require registration with the Irish regulator.
“If, therefore, healthcare is conducted in another state but is provided to a patient in Ireland by means of telemedicine, the Medical Council has no jurisdiction,” the spokeswoman said.
“If a complaint were to be made, it would have it be made to the competent authority in which the practitioner is established.”
A spokesman for the HSE said “providers are responsible for ensuring that staff delivering services are compliant with all applicable contractual, professional, clinical governance and quality assurance requirements”.
The revelations about Kadhem come after The Irish Times recently revealed that some staff conducting ultrasounds for Affidea did not have a postgraduate degree in the speciality, despite this being a contractual requirement when providing work for the HSE.
A spokeswoman for the company said all staff have bachelor’s degrees but not all would have master’s degrees, adding that all scans are reviewed by a consultant radiologist.
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, support is available.
If you have previously used our service, we encourage you to get in touch again for support.
We also welcome contact from anyone who wishes to participate in an inquiry process, including individuals with relevant information, whether or not they are victims.
The Dignity4Patients helpline is open Monday to Thursday, from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
Contact the team by phone on 041 984 3730 or text 086 165 4111.
Dignity4Patients Commentary: With cases such as these, we need to be asking questions about patient safety, professional accountability and clinical governance when healthcare is delivered across borders. The fact that a doctor whose licence had been revoked in two countries, but continued to report scans for Irish patients highlights potential gaps in oversight. It also raises the question of who is ultimately responsible for ensuring that clinicians providing care remotely to patients in Ireland are appropriately qualified and subject to effective regulation.
