A surgeon at a hospital in North Wales prescribed himself Viagra
because he was too busy to go to his GP, the General Medical Council (GMC) has heard.
Nigerian-born Dr Jonathan Bala used his sister-in-law’s name to get the drug while working at Llandudno Hospital, the fitness to practise panel in Manchester was told.
The 43-year-old has already been handed a six-month suspended sentence for obtaining property by deception by a court in Caernarfon last year.
The intestinal surgeon, of Ormskirk, Lancashire, has admitted failing to notify the GMC of his conviction, and that he told North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust he was not subject to any police investigations when he started as a locum.
He said of his conviction: “At that time I still lived in Ormskirk, working in Llandudno. I used to go there every day, two hours of commuting, so it was quite a lot of stress. Not staying with my wife and three children didn’t help.
“The increasing symptoms as a result of my medical conditions meant it was very difficult for me to concentrate and I complained to the trust that I was becoming exhausted.
“There were so many problems: family problems, medical problems, working 84 hours a week – it was just too much at that time.” The hearing continues.
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