Doctor to be sentenced after forging Viagra prescriptions – all for himself

We heard in October of this year how a clumsy patient attempted to forge a Viagra prescription – and inevitably failed after stupidly writing “100ml” instead of the correct dosage of 100mg.

However, shockingly it has come to light that a doctor has been forging his own prescriptions for the widely used erectile dysfunction medication. The reason? He was too embarrassed to request a prescription for the drug from his own GP, a court has heard.

Dr Mansoor Kassim, 37, of Ilford, Essex, was enduring problems in his marriage during the time when he produced fake Viagra prescriptions, which were tallied up to total £340.67.

Dr Kassim conjured up fictitious names – such as ‘Ravi Kumar’ – of both doctors and patients that supposedly were in need of the anti-impotence medication, known as ‘the little blue pill’ to millions around the world who take it.

After this, Dr Kassim went along to a local chemist with the intention of collecting the tablets for his own personal use.

As Dr Kassim actually worked within a trauma and orthopaedic unit, where patients usually wouldn’t require or be prescribed erectile dysfunction drugs. This immediately triggered suspicions amongst staff at the chemist.

Handwriting experts were drafted in by health officials and it was established than the stolen prescription scripts were all filled in by the same person – Dr Kassim.

The court at Caerphilly was told Dr Kassim was working as a senior doctor on the verge of becoming a consultant at the time he illegally obtained the Viagra; the offences occurred between the time of February 25 and October 24 this year. He was employed by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, working at Ystrad Fawr Hospital at Caerphilly, South Wales.

The doctor could now face being struck off and will soon have to attend a hearing with the General Medical Council (GMC); the independent regulator for doctors in the UK.

Chairman of the bench David Wall told Dr Kassim: “These are serious allegations. You were in a high position of trust. We don’t feel we can deal with the matter without further investigation.”
The doctor has been freed on bail until next month, when he will receive his sentence.

Martyn Edwards, head of counter fraud with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “The NHS and the public in general are entitled to expect the highest levels of integrity from clinicians. In this instance, the conduct of Dr Kassim fell far short of those expectations. The NHS has absolutely no tolerance for dishonest abuse of a position of trust of this nature.”

Defending Dr Kassim, David Welch said: “He had marital difficulties which led him to seek out the medication. Dr Kassim was embarrassed to admit his problem to another doctor and so faked the prescriptions himself. He’s said this is the most stupid thing he’s done in his entire life. He’s now seeking counselling to look at really why he did what he did, given so much that was put at risk.”

However, self-prescribing via forged prescriptions could be viewed as indefensible and stupid simultaneously, especially in the 21^st century when any male suffering with impotence problems can quickly go onto the internet to a fully-registered and legitimate online pharmacy to obtain Viagra, following an online consultation of course with a doctor registered with the GMC. It saves any potential embarrassment of a face-to-face visit with your own GP, with the medication arriving the next day (within the UK) to a destination of your choice, whether this be at home or your place of work.

Complaints made against doctors are increasing

New figures indicate that the number of complaints being made against doctors by patients, and even by their fellow colleagues, is on the increase.

Data from the General Medical Council (GMC) show that complaints against doctors has actually more than doubled in the space of five years.

Back in 2007 there were just under 4,000 complaints recorded. However, by 2012 this had soared to 8,109.

The figure of 8,109 had increased by 24% on the previous year (2011) and represents a staggering 104% rise from 2007’s data.

It was found that the majority of complaints were made by the doctors’ patients, or friends and family the patient, and between 2007 and 2012 the overall number of complaints emanating from members of the public increased by 87% to 5,014.

Alarmingly though, a significant amount of complaints are being made by doctors’ colleagues and employers, with their fitness to practice being brought to question.

The GMC attempted to defend the figures and put the rise down to patients having a much higher expectation of doctors compared to previous times, and more doctors now willing to voice their concerns about colleagues if they disagree with something.

The report stated: “These patterns should be seen in the context of increasing patient expectations and demand for healthcare – one calculation suggests that there has been a 28 per cent increase since 2001.”

Overall, over half of the total complaints related to poor clinical care, or both poor clinical care and how the doctor communicated with their patient.

Typically it was found that when one doctor would complain about another, their unhappiness was due to a colleague’s criminal conviction or because of a conflict of interest.

In terms of which group were the most frequent complainers from the public, those between the ages 46 and 60 were most likely to complain, and GPs more than other doctors were more commonly the subject of their ire.

Male doctors received twice as many complaints than their female counterparts, with over a fifth of male GPs receiving at least one complaint between 2007 and 2013.

Professor Sir Peter Rubin, chair of the GMC, commented: “Overall the standard of care that patients receive in the UK is good and doctors continue to deserve the trust and respect of the public. The GMC has an important role to play in protecting patients and ensuring that doctors practice to the highest possible standard. Complaints from members of the public, doctors and other professionals are invaluable in helping us to do this. Complaints also give the health service a chance to reflect and improve the care that patients receive. However what our report shows is that some patients don’t know where to go to raise a concern about their treatment and more needs to be done to help them raise issues. Making a complaint about a doctor can be stressful and it is important that concerns are raised with the right organisation so patients are not passed from pillar to post.”