West Yorkshire doctor admits lying to get second Covid jab

Dr Kummaraganti was concerned he would get Covid and pass it to his elderly parents he was due to visit in India

A doctor has admitted lying to receive a Covid jab for which he was not eligible at a centre in West Yorkshire.

A medical tribunal heard Dr Srinivasa Kummaraganti attended Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust's Covid vaccine centre in February 2021.

Dr Kummaraganti said he had pretended to be a staff member to get his second dose of vaccine, something he told the tribunal he now "regretted".

The hearing into his actions is expected to continue on Wednesday.

A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel heard Dr Kummaraganti had arrived at the centre on 21 February wearing an ID badge and a stethoscope.

He told staff he had been called to come for his second dose and said he had received his first jab on 1 January, neither of which was true.

'Deliberate dishonesties'

Elizabeth Dudley-Jones, for the General Medical Council, told the tribunal panel that at the time the trust was offering its staff their second doses to prevent waste, but only for employees who were eligible.

She said Dr Kummaraganti's wife worked for the trust and was one of those called for vaccination.

Ms Dudley-Jones said the doctor's wife had asked if her husband could also receive a jab, but was told he was not eligible as he had only received his first dose on 8 January.

"You were aware of the conversations she had been having about your non-eligibility. She had been repeatedly told you were not eligible," Ms Dudley-Jones told the doctor during Tuesday's hearing.

Before he arrived, Dr Kummaraganti had a carefully thought-out plan to "hoodwink" trust employees, she added.

Ms Dudley-Jones said while Dr Kummaraganti's dishonesty was confined to one day, it was "clearly serious misconduct" which involved "deliberate and purposeful dishonesties".

'Regret everything'

In his evidence, Dr Kummaraganti said he had not practised medicine in the UK or India since 2018 and did not intend to return to practise in the UK.

The panel heard his desire for vaccination was due to the fact he was returning to India to care for his elderly parents and was concerned he might get Covid and give it to them.

He claimed he was "overwhelmed", which had "clouded" his thinking on the day he went for the jab.

"Due to a fear of missing vaccination, I provided false information and was dishonest," he admitted.

"I utterly regret everything I did. I sincerely, and from the bottom of my heart, apologise to everyone involved in this investigation," he said.

The tribunal heard Dr Kummaraganti had since undertaken a series of courses on probity and ethics, had worked with a mentor, spoken of his actions with family and friends and written a letter of apology to the trust.

The tribunal will later consider whether the doctor's actions, which he has admitted, meant his fitness to practise was impaired because of his misconduct.