Registrar loses claim for race bias compensation

A SENIOR registrar who alleged racial discrimination when he was not shortlisted for a job as senior lecturer at a teaching hospital has lost his battle for compensation.

Dr Vivian Fonseca, 39, an Indian-born senior registrar at the Royal Free Hospital, London, applied for the job at the hospital's medical school. An industrial tribunal panel said in its judgement: 'We have considered the oral evidence and the documents and the majority does not find that there was any discrimination on racial grounds against the applicant. The claim therefore fails and is dismissed.'

The tribunal was told that five of the nine members of the advisory panel for the appointment had shortlisted Dr Fonseca, of Golders Green, north London. But he had finally been rejected for the post, of senior lecturer and honorary consultant in endocrinology and general medicine, in October 1990 because of his allegedly inadequate academic research record, Professor Arie Zuckerman, dean of the medical school, said.