AN A&E doctor has been struck off for falsifying prescriptions so he could send medication to a family friend in Pakistan.

Dr Mohammad Khan was working at Broomfield’s emergency department in March 2018 when he wrote up fake prescriptions for two medications used to treat gynaecological conditions so he could send them abroad.

During a medical tribunal, Dr Khan described a “storm of turmoil” going on inside him 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 guilty of “serious misconduct" and determined his ability to practice was impaired.

During the hearing, the panel heard Dr Khan’s friend was a woman he had known since childhood who had requested to speak to him last February regarding a gynaecological problem.

He stated that she was “very poor” and therefore had been unable to receive appropriate treatment from a private clinic in Pakistan.

He also told the panel she wanted to try UK medication as the local medication had not worked.

In order to help her, Dr Khan randomly selected two patients’ names from the hospital system and falsified prescriptions for them in order to obtain the medications from the hospital pharmacy.

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

The pharmacist also queried why he had prescribed medication usually used to treat menopause to a pregnant woman.

This was reported to senior hospital staff and Dr Khan came clean about what had happened.

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

In oral evidence given to the tribunal panel, he 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 stated: “We found that Dr Khan falsified prescriptions using the names of patients he was not treating thus 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 would be the only proportionate sanction to impose in order to protect the public, maintain public confidence in the profession and uphold the proper standards.”