Representative ordered to pay damages following prescription fraud
A medical representative who supplied stolen prescriptions in a widespread fraud, which cost the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds, is facing financial ruin after a High Court ruling last week.
Girish Pandya, of Kenton Lane, Harrow, was ordered to pay £213,448
in damages to the London Strategic Health Authority (LSHA), as well at
least £190,000 in legal costs and £156,000 in interest after
the civil court hearing in London.
In a lengthy written judgement, Sir Andrew Park said Mr Pandya was “involved
in the organisation and implementation of the fraud or frauds” that
involved seven London pharmacies. Between 1998 and 2001, the pharmacies
used thousands of forged prescription forms to obtain large payments
from the NHS for prescriptions that had not been dispensed.
Sir Andrew said that there were at least 3,773 forged forms — taken
from 40 doctors’ surgeries in London — and the total cost
to the NHS was calculated at £429,249.
In the only fraud detailed by the judge, Sir Andrew said Mr Pandya would
receive regular supplies of prescription drugs in return for his role
in the scam.
“There is no evidence of what Mr Pandya did with the drugs which
were supplied to him by the pharmacy without paying for them,” said
the judge. “It has been conjectured that he may have sold them
on the black market.”
Sir Andrew said there was “considerable force” in the suggestion
that Mr Pandya stole the forms himself, as he often had “unsupervised
access to rooms where some prescription forms were located”. He
refused permission for Mr Pandya, who has never been prosecuted in the
criminal courts, to appeal against his ruling.
The court heard that individuals or companies that owned or ran seven
pharmacies involved in the fraud have already settled with the LSHA after
agreeing to pay substantial sums, interest and costs.
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