In order to receive a Covid shot for which he was not qualified at a center in West Yorkshire, a doctor admitted to lying.
A medical tribunal was informed that in February 2021, Dr. Srinivasa Kummaraganti visited the Covid vaccine center at the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.
Dr. Kummaraganti claimed that in order to receive his second dose of the vaccine, he had pretended to be a member of the staff. He later "regretted" this, he told the tribunal.
On Wednesday, the hearing into his actions is anticipated to continue.
Dr. Kummaraganti arrived at the center on February 21 while wearing an ID badge and a stethoscope, according to testimony given before a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel.
Both of his claims—that he had received his first shot on January 1 and that he had been called to come in for his second dose—were untrue.
In order to reduce waste, the trust was offering second doses to its staff at the time, but only for those who qualified, according to Elizabeth Dudley-Jones of the General Medical Council, who testified before the tribunal panel.
She claimed that one of those called for vaccination was Dr. Kummaraganti's wife, who worked for the trust.
According to Ms. Dudley-Jones, the doctor's wife had inquired as to whether her husband, who had only received his first dose on January 8th, could also get vaccinated. However, she was informed that he was ineligible.
"You knew she had been talking to people about your ineligibility. During the hearing on Tuesday, Ms. Dudley-Jones informed the doctor that she had received repeated assurances that she was ineligible.
She went on to say that Dr. Kummaraganti had carefully planned how to "hoodwink" the trust staff members before he arrived.
While Dr. Kummaraganti's dishonesty was limited to a single day, it was nonetheless "clearly serious misconduct" that involved "deliberate and purposeful dishonesties," according to Ms. Dudley-Jones.
Dr. Kummaraganti stated in his testimony that he had not practiced medicine in the UK or India since 2018 and had no plans to do so again.
The panel was informed that he wanted to get vaccinated because he was going back to India to take care of his elderly parents and was worried he might get Covid and give it to them.
He claimed that on the day he received the jab, he was "overwhelmed," which "clouded" his judgment.
He confessed, "I gave false information and was dishonest because I was afraid of missing vaccination.".
"I regret everything I did to the core. I sincerely apologize to everyone involved in this investigation and do so from the bottom of my heart, he said.
The tribunal learned that Dr. Kummaraganti has since completed a number of ethics and probity courses, worked with a mentor, discussed his behavior with family and friends, and written an apology letter to the trust.
The tribunal will later decide whether the doctor's misconduct—which he has acknowledged—meant that his fitness to practice was compromised.
