Hospital doctor fraudulently gave drugs to close relation for years (original) (raw)

A hospital doctor was suspended after fraudulently prescribing highly addictive drugs to a "close relation" for years. Dr Marta Kasztelewicz overprescribed opioid painkiller codeine and diazepam, a strong anti-anxiety medication, to someone she had a "close personal relationship" with.

The doctor committed a series of misconduct incidents at Neath Port Talbot Hospital and Swansea's Singleton Hospital in Swansea. She served a five-month suspension but in September a misconduct panel said she could return to work as a doctor. The panel heard she planned to move to London and work at St Mary’s Hospital "where she has consultants who would be willing to employ her".

Dr Kasztelewicz qualified in 2006 from a German medical school before joining Singleton Hospital as a locum at registrar level. Between August 2015 and December 2019 she inappropriately gave private prescriptions to the patient. Panel chairwoman Gillian Temple-Bone said some of these were "excessive in quantity, duration, and frequency". The doctor also provided treatment to the same patient at Singleton's admissions unit in September 2019 despite having no authority to treat patients there.

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Concerns were raised about her conduct in 2020 and the following year she accepted a police caution for supplying 64 fraudulent private prescriptions at Neath Port Talbot Hospital as well as counterfeiting and computer misuse offences at the same hospital. The panel heard she had been "prescribing on behalf of Singleton Hospital when she no longer worked there and she was not making it clear that the patient was a close relation of hers". She tried to "mislead" staff so the patient would "get treatment before the other patients who were waiting" and she put the patient's health at risk by prescribing addictive drugs in "potentially harmful quantities".

Following a five-month suspension for serious misconduct Dr Kasztelewicz appeared before the panel to fight for her future in the NHS. She said she now understood the "inappropriate and unhealthy nature" of her relationship with the patient, adding: "I deeply regret the mistakes I have done and I am very sorry. I fully understand now what impact my actions had on the general public, the GMC (General Medical Council), my colleagues, my patient, and myself. And I also understand now what circumstances and behavioural patterns in the relationship with [the patient] and my biography led to the situation. I feel I have gained significant insight and changed my life profoundly."

Revoking the suspension Ms Temple-Bone noted the doctor had shown "remorse and understanding of her actions" as well as completing courses under CPD (continuing professional development). The panel was "reassured" by the doctor's plan to do work shadowing which would allow her to "observe and reflect for a time before resuming employment". She said she planned to "take up an opportunity to live in London and shadow some consultants in Queen Elizabeth Hospital" before beginning work at St Mary’s Hospital. In the longer term, she said, she planned to train as a GP. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues affecting the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

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