By Jean Christou
STATE pathologist Sophocles Sophocleous was yesterday suspended pending a disciplinary investigation into an autopsy he carried out on a man who died at the Nicosia General Hospital after a road accident.
Health Minster Frixos Savvides, who sought the suspension, told the Cyprus Mailthat the Public Services Commission had granted his request yesterday.
” Mr Sophocleous, as of 3 o’clock this afternoon, was suspended from his duties,”Savvides said.
The suspension came after the results of a second post mortem on the 44- year old accident victim, by another state pathologist, Eleni Antoniou, contradicted the findings of the first. The victim, Christofis Christofi, died 19 days after the accident.
The results of histology (tissue) tests released on Monday confirmed the findings of the second post mortem, which established the cause of death as a pulmonary embolism, the Health Ministry said.
Sophocleous’ post mortem on Christofi, which was observed by DIKO deputy and forensic pathologist Marios Matsakis, found the cause of death to be pneumonia and organ failure resulting from aspiration of gastric content. Matsakis claimed the man had choked on his vomit during transfer to Nicosia in an ambulance, leading to complications.
” Choking on his own vomit, which was put chronologically during his transportation 19 days before in the ambulance, was to say at the very least – as one very famous professor of pathology said when I asked him – ‘ridiculous’,”Savvides said.
” Nobody can say this medically without support of any analysis.”
Savvides said the cause of death as pulmonary embolism was found during the second autopsy and was confirmed from the histology tests.
” There is an investigation as to Mr Sophocleous’ whole behaviour, before during and after the first autopsy,”Savvides said.
Commenting on Matsakis’ role, the Minster said: ” Mr Matsakis does not work for the government. There is a separate police investigation which has been started at the request of the Health Ministry as to the circumstances of the first autopsy.”
Savvides added that he didn’t believe the investigation would take very long.
A brief written statement from Sophocleous, who has remained silent on the issue, yesterday said he stood by the results of his autopsy. He said he had decided to speak out because of the things that had been said over the past days.
