A GP has been given an official warning by the General Medical Council after he was convicted of being more than twice the drink drive limit.
Dr Richard Lukandwa, who trained to be a GP Registrar at Marple Medical Practice on Stockport Road, Marple, Stockport, was given the warning after the committee found that his conduct did not meet with that required by a doctor.
He was arrested in Cumbria in the early hours of November 16, 2008, after crashing his car into some railings and a traffic island.
The GP, who was working in Barrow at the time of the incident having left Marple in August 2008, was returning from a work related meeting in Cumbria at 4am when he was caught by the officers.
Dr Lukandwa was breathalysed and his blood alcohol was found to be 81 micrograms - the legal limit for driving is 35.
Abusive
According to a statement from Cumbria Police he was extremely intoxicated and became verbally abusive.
He also obstructed them by giving a false name and claiming to have a heart condition but no evidence of this was found when a medical assessment was conducted.
On February 17 this year he pleaded guilty at the Magistrates Court in Barrow in Furness, to driving with excess alcohol.
He was fined £400 with costs and given an 18 month driving ban.
Dr Lukandwa, who moved to the UK from Uganda in 2000, contested the warning saying the incident was a one-off caused by very difficult circumstances in his personal life at the time.
In a letter read out at the hearing by Craig Sefton, the solicitor representing the GMC, Dr Lukandwa stated that he had just found out his wife had lied to him about her identity, and married him in order to stay in the country, so he was in a distressed emotional state.
He said that he could not remember the events of the night because he was so intoxicated.
Dr Lukandwa added that his family in Uganda benefit from the money he earns in the UK, and the fact that he now has a criminal record and a driving ban has meant he has already 'suffered significantly'.
In the letter he stated: "A GMC hearing could imply it was intentional behaviour. I have children aged two and four, and I need to be able to work to support my family."
Apologetic
Speaking at the hearing Dr Lukandwa said: "I am deeply apologetic to members of the public who put their trust in me and to members of my profession. I have taken hold of my life and want to continue serving members of my community both here and in Africa."
After considering the points raised the committee decided a warning, which serves as an official reprimand but does not affect fitness to practice, would be appropriate stating that Dr Lukandwa's conduct 'did not meet with the standards required of a doctor.'
Dr Melanie Wynne-Jones, senior partner at Marple Medical Practice, said : "Dr Lukandwa completed his training as a GP Registrar with Marple Medical Practice in 2008, three months before he was arrested for drink-driving in November 2008. He has not worked for the practice since that incident."
Shame of GP double drink-drive limit
December 23, 2009
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Moral of the storey?
Don’t drink and drive then
sorry - double the limit, gives false details to police, claims he has a heart condition which has no evidence to confirm??? And still allowed to practice as a doctor. Get a grip, he cant be trusted, get him struck off!!!
What does it take for a GP to struck off these days?
Sounds about par for the course from the GMC - except its members usually bury their mistakes. Quite literally.
he now has a criminal record and a driving ban has meant he has already 'suffered significantly'.
Tuff you should have thought about that before. Welcome to the real world.
“Dr Lukandwa was breathalysed and his blood alcohol was found to be 81 micrograms - the legal limit for driving is 35.”
Is this another Government “stealth” law? Although the Head Puritan, Liam Donaldson, would like it to be reduced, it hasn’t. I suspect that this is just another example of poor reporting, though. Surely it’s not a coincidence that the UK breath alcohol limit is 35 microgrammes per 100 ml?
I hope Stockport’s lynch mob volunteer register is up to date.
he is human and we all make mistakes .not the end off the world
If cops can do it why not doctors, its wrong but every days many tens of thousands do it and get away with it, I must say I have a lot more time for a doctor than a cop.
"A GMC hearing could imply it was intentional behaviour. I have children aged two and four, and I need to be able to work to support my family."
I suppose someone held him down and poured the booze into him! Of course it was intentional and he should take the consequences.
And, if is wife married him just to stay in the country, I hope she's on her way home by now!
The GP, who was working in Barrow at the time of the incident having left Marple in August 2008, was returning from a work related meeting in Cumbria at 4am when he was caught by the officers.
From this I take it he was drinking whilst he attended the meeting, which in my opinion constitutes drinking in the workplace. Even if he drank on the way home, he was still in working as he would I am sure he claimed travel allowance and maybe even working time. In industry and the private sector this would have been judged as gross misconduct leading to instant dismissal.
Redberry, Manchester, top marks. You've clearly grasped the Harvard Business School concept of Management. You need only now grasp the concept of Leadership and there may be hope. How's the tar vat doing and are you OK for feathers?