An Aberdeen doctor suspended for pocketing money from patients paying for treatment has been told he can rejoin the profession.
Consultant anaesthetist Dr Pandeshwar Gururaj, who worked for NHS Grampian and in private practice, was accused of adding his name to medical documents of cases he was not involved in.
This week, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) met to review the doctors fitness to practice.
Qualifying as a doctor in India in 1986 and started working in the UK in 1998, he has been employed by NHS Grampian since 2005.
He also began private practice at the Albyn Hospital, part of the BMI Healthcare Group, in 2016.
A tribunal last year found that between November 2015 and February 2018, on approximately 23 occasions, he added his name as the anaesthetist on operation theatre charge sheets when he had not provided services for the operations.
On top of that, on two occasions the money he pocketed came directly from patients who were paying for their own treatment.
The MPTS later ruled that his conduct “fell far short of the standards expected of a doctor and that it amounted to misconduct”. They added they “considered this conduct was dishonest and amounted to theft”.
As a result the MPTS ruled the doctor would be suspended until October 24, 2020 and would be required to take several steps to showcase his reform.
In defence of his actions Dr Gururaj had initially said his conduct was “a slip up” and “an error of judgement” before offering an apology and attempting to repay the cash owed.
At the review of his case he had described how he had tried to obtain clinical attachments in hospitals in Glasgow and Middlesborough, although his efforts have been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He told the Tribunal that he wants to return to his chosen profession and to help those most in need.
Due to there being no patient safety issues in the case and that his previously high reputation as a well regarded clinician by his colleagues, it was concluded that there was “not a significant risk of repetition”.
As such the doctor is now able to rejoin his chosen profession.
