SAN DIEGO -- A Mira Mesa doctor once employed by the California Department of Corrections allegedly gave negligent care to prisoners and could lose his medical license over it, it was reported Monday.

The Medical Board of California has filed an accusation against Dr. Bonifacio Esperanza condemning his treatment of seven inmates at Centinela State Prison in Imperial in 2006, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

The filing states that Esperanza's work fell below acceptable medical standards for ailments such as heart disease and diabetes, according to the newspaper.

The 66-year-old Esperanza, who graduated from Far Eastern University in the Philippines and has been licensed to practice in California since 1980, retired from the corrections department last year and now works in private practice, the Union-Tribune reported.

He disputes the accusation against him.

"I gave the inmate patients the proper care," he told the newspaper. "I did nothing negligent in my professional work with these patients."

Examples of Esperanza's alleged negligence include an incident in 2006 when he failed to send a 55-year-old inmate with heart disease to a diagnostic facility after he complained of chest pain and shortness of breath.

He also allegedly failed to transfer a 20-year-old inmate to a surgeon to treat an infection spreading through his lower body.