A&E doctor struck off.

An A&E doctor has been struck off by a medical tribunal for falsifying prescriptions so he could send medication abroad.

Dr Mohammad Khan was working at the emergency department of Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, Essex, in March 2018 when he wrote up fake prescriptions for two medications used to treat gynaecological conditions so he could send them to a family friend in Pakistan.

During his hearing, Dr Khan described his “storm of turmoil” as to whether he should help his friend, referred to as Patient A, and that he felt “ashamed” of doing it as a “one-off.”

The tribunal found Dr Khan, who was working as a locum, guilty of “serious misconduct" and determined that his ability to practice was impaired.

During the hearing, the panel heard Dr Khan had known his friend since childhood and she had asked to speak to him about a gynaecological problem.

He said that she was “very poor” and had been unable to receive appropriate treatment from a private clinic in Pakistan. She wanted to try UK medication, as that supplied locally had not worked.

So he could help her, Dr Khan randomly selected two patients’ names from the hospital’s database and falsified prescriptions for them to obtain the medicine from the hospital pharmacy.

Questions were raised when the pharmacist noted inconsistencies in the patients’ medical records that did not match up with the medications being prescribed.

The pharmacist also questioned why he had prescribed medication usually used to treat menopause for a woman who was pregnant.

The matter was reported to senior hospital staff and Dr Khan admitted what had happened.

The Mid Essex Hospital Services Trust, which runs Broomfield Hospital, did not conduct an investigation because Dr Khan was from an agency but he was immediately dismissed.

In spoken evidence to the tribunal panel, the doctor admitted the prescription written for his friend was “unsafe” and added: “I had no intention to mislead or be dishonest. I was trying to help a friend.

Panel chairman, Geoffrey Payne, said: “We found that Dr Khan falsified prescriptions using the names of patients he was not treating, compromising their confidentiality and potentially putting them at risk by virtue of their having inaccurate information in their medical records.

“We found that Dr Khan had not made any plans to ensure the prescriptions were safely used by Patient A and could not be satisfied Patient A would receive follow up care.

“These actions amount to serious misconduct which is fundamentally incompatible with his continued registration on the medical register.

“Therefore, erasing his name is the only proportionate sanction to impose in order to protect the public, maintain public confidence in the profession and uphold proper standards.”