ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

The case of the hardworking doc

Murali Krishnan in London

Just when the Labour government thought it was doing a good job of revamping the National Health Service, making it more responsive and effective, the NHS was hit by scandal. When Dr Jagdeep Gossain, who practices surgery in Fulham, southwest London, became the centre of a probe after being declared the most expensive general practitioner in the NHS.

He claimed more than £ 100,000 from the NHS last year for night visits to patients -- a hundred times more than the average GP takes home.

The case gained national attention when the BBC programme, Panorama, brought it up.

Titled Health -- The Trust Betrayed, the BBC investigation team placed hidden cameras to track the GP leaving his surgery and home on night rounds.

Though out-of-hours home calls are rare and intended to be for emergencies only, many of Dr Gossain's visits lasted mere minutes and in some buildings he saw more than one patient.

Since payment for each call is £ 21.65, Dr Gossain would have had to make 15 visits a night for all 365 days of 1997 to reach the stunning figure of £ 100,000.

What has further come to light is that over the last three years, the 39-year-old doctor, who drives a brand new Mercedes with a personalised number plate, has incredibly claimed more than £400,000 for night visits.

A spokesperson for the Hounslow Health Authority said Dr Gossain's quarterly claims for night visits were being investigated now.

The Tanzanian-born doctor has refused to comment on the allegations and has kept a very low profile after the documentary on television. His wife, Sashi, however insisted her husband's only crime was that he was a workaholic.

"My husband is dedicated to the profession. Around here you can't get a doctor in 10 days, let alone have them come out at night," she said.

Fellow GPs have exclaimed astonishment over Dr Gossain's claims.

"Embarrassing," said one. "The NHS has limited resources, and if they are being illegally used, it will be at the cost of the patient and tax-payer," said another.

The NHS is already under fire for delaying treatment, making some who have applied for operations wait up to for years, depending on the seriousness of the case.

In fact Noel, a 70-year-old pensioner from Surrey, actually flew to Ajmer in Rajasthan for a cataract operation. It cost him just £ 60. In Britain, he would have the choice of paying a private hospital £ 3,000 or waiting 18 months for the NHS operation.

But all these complaints have been pushed to the background by the current one. Most GPs are amazed how Dr Gossain could have earned £ 100,000 from night visits alone.

An internal NHS report in 1995 noted that although there were nearly 400 GPs in the area, Dr Gossain's claims for his night rounds amounted to 10 per cent of the total.

Dr Gossain, who is paid a basic annual salary of £ 47,000 lives with his wife and three children in Hounslow, Middlesex.

Meanwhile, he continues his work though friends say his night calls are fewer now.

Tell us what you think of this report