Dedworth
5th December 2014, 16:54
A 'well-respected' GP who crashed his car whilst almost three-and-a-half times over the legal drink driving limit has been handed a six-month practise ban.
Dr Shyam Kanchan, 65, was driving without headlights when he crashed into another car around 10pm on 24 July last year, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service heard.
Police smelt alcohol on the doctor's breath and he was struggling to keep his balance when officers approached him, a Fitness to Practise hearing was told.
The medic was arrested and taken to Wolverhampton Police Station where a blood sample gave a reading of 277 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood – almost three-and-a-half times the legal limit.
Kanchan was sentenced to eight weeks and five days in prison and banned from driving for three years after pleading guilty to drink driving at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court on September 25 last year.
The veteran GP, who has more than three decades' experience, told an MPTS panel he had gone to a friend's house after working at Rose Villas Medical Practice, Wolverhampton on 24 July 2013.
He claimed he had been poured two unmeasured glasses of whisky at the party, which he drank, before driving home.
Kanchan admitted that his 'lapse of judgement' had placed pedestrians and other drivers at risk.
MPTS panel chair Dr Wendy Kuriyan told him: 'In your drunken state you drove your car without your headlights illuminated, you ignored a driver who was flashing their lights at you to bring to your attention that your lights were not illuminated, you collided with another vehicle, you drove away from the scene of the accident before coming to a stop some distance further away.'
She added: 'The panel takes the view that the offence for which you were convicted is very serious in nature.
'This is demonstrated clearly by the custodial sentence that you received in September 2013.
'In the panel's view, as a medical professional, your actions that evening were unacceptable.'
Dr Gurmit Mahay, representing Kancham at the Manchester hearing, said the doctor had been working as a well-respected GP for the last 32 years.
He said that Kanchan could face 'financial ruin' if he was stopped from working as a doctor.
But Dr Kuriyan said Kanchan had shown no insight into the effect his behaviour has on public confidence in the profession.
'The panel has balanced Dr Kanchan's interests against the public interest and has determined that a period of suspension is the only proportionate response in this case,' she said. announcing the decision to suspend his registration for six months.
'It determined that six months is the minimum period which would adequately reflect the profession's disapproval of such conduct, even though it deprives the public of an otherwise competent doctor.
'The panel considers that this period of time is proportionate and will send a signal to Dr Kanchan, the medical profession and the public that such behaviour is unacceptable and unbefitting a medical practitioner.'
Kanchan has 28 days to appeal the decision before his suspension takes effect.
http://courtnewsuk.co.uk/newsgallery/?page=2&news_id=39179#sthash.NoXulDhp.dpuf
9224
Another one who should be struck off.
This man has used Google EU Human rights nonsense to suppress his original court case and jailing in 2013 - Google "Dr Shyam Kumar Kanchan jailed" there is no mention of the case but Google says "Some results may have been removed under data protection law in Europe" .
Dr Shyam Kanchan, 65, was driving without headlights when he crashed into another car around 10pm on 24 July last year, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service heard.
Police smelt alcohol on the doctor's breath and he was struggling to keep his balance when officers approached him, a Fitness to Practise hearing was told.
The medic was arrested and taken to Wolverhampton Police Station where a blood sample gave a reading of 277 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood – almost three-and-a-half times the legal limit.
Kanchan was sentenced to eight weeks and five days in prison and banned from driving for three years after pleading guilty to drink driving at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court on September 25 last year.
The veteran GP, who has more than three decades' experience, told an MPTS panel he had gone to a friend's house after working at Rose Villas Medical Practice, Wolverhampton on 24 July 2013.
He claimed he had been poured two unmeasured glasses of whisky at the party, which he drank, before driving home.
Kanchan admitted that his 'lapse of judgement' had placed pedestrians and other drivers at risk.
MPTS panel chair Dr Wendy Kuriyan told him: 'In your drunken state you drove your car without your headlights illuminated, you ignored a driver who was flashing their lights at you to bring to your attention that your lights were not illuminated, you collided with another vehicle, you drove away from the scene of the accident before coming to a stop some distance further away.'
She added: 'The panel takes the view that the offence for which you were convicted is very serious in nature.
'This is demonstrated clearly by the custodial sentence that you received in September 2013.
'In the panel's view, as a medical professional, your actions that evening were unacceptable.'
Dr Gurmit Mahay, representing Kancham at the Manchester hearing, said the doctor had been working as a well-respected GP for the last 32 years.
He said that Kanchan could face 'financial ruin' if he was stopped from working as a doctor.
But Dr Kuriyan said Kanchan had shown no insight into the effect his behaviour has on public confidence in the profession.
'The panel has balanced Dr Kanchan's interests against the public interest and has determined that a period of suspension is the only proportionate response in this case,' she said. announcing the decision to suspend his registration for six months.
'It determined that six months is the minimum period which would adequately reflect the profession's disapproval of such conduct, even though it deprives the public of an otherwise competent doctor.
'The panel considers that this period of time is proportionate and will send a signal to Dr Kanchan, the medical profession and the public that such behaviour is unacceptable and unbefitting a medical practitioner.'
Kanchan has 28 days to appeal the decision before his suspension takes effect.
http://courtnewsuk.co.uk/newsgallery/?page=2&news_id=39179#sthash.NoXulDhp.dpuf
9224
Another one who should be struck off.
This man has used Google EU Human rights nonsense to suppress his original court case and jailing in 2013 - Google "Dr Shyam Kumar Kanchan jailed" there is no mention of the case but Google says "Some results may have been removed under data protection law in Europe" .