Indian surgeon suspended in UK

London (PTI) - An Indian surgeon working in the
British National Health Service (NHS) has been suspended for
concocting a story about his Gujarat-based mother's death
because he was worried about failing his surgical exams.
Sandeep Kukreti, a specialist in trauma and
orthopaedics at the Basildon Hospital, lied about his mother's
death ahead of his professional exams in February last year.
Kukreti, who qualified from western Indian state
Gujarat university in 1990, has now been suspended from
practising for four months after being found guilty of
misconduct by the General Medical Council (GMC).
A report of the hearing by panel chairman John
Donnelly said: "Your fitness to practise is impaired by reason
of your misleading and dishonest misconduct. You told the
panel you accepted your behaviour at the time was deplorable.
Your serious breach of good medical practice involved
dishonesty over a period of two weeks".
A GMC hearing was told that Kukreti was given four
days of special paid leave from his job in January 2010 after
stating that his father was seriously ill and he needed to
travel to India.
He later called the hospital to say he would not
return to work for another two days.
In reality, he was still in the country and revising
for the exams he had failed on four previous occasions.
Kukreti was due to take the exam on February 7, in
Bristol.
On February 4, he called the manager of the
Intercollegiate Specialty Boards, which ran the exams, to say
his mother, not his father, had died and he would have to
postpone the exam.
When the board pressed for copies of flight tickets he
confessed to making up the story, saying he "lost confidence"
and wanted to cancel the exams and avoid paying 1,275 pounds
fees.
He later admitted his mother was not dead, but had
walked out on the family 20 years ago, and asked that the
deceit remained confidential.
Kukreti was also found guilty of failing to ensure
cover for his clinical duties at the hospital when he attended
training sessions in March and September 2010.
A third charge that he failed to call in sick before
missing a morning work shift at the hospital was also proved.
A hospital spokeswoman said he had 28 days to appeal
the decision and it would take no action until after that
date.