Drugs doctor abused his post to help drink-driver
A drugs expert has been suspended as a doctor after trying to abuse his position to get special treatment for a woman colleague caught drink-driving.
Dr Kenneth Checinski concealed his friendship with the doctor — with whom he had a "close personal relationship" — when he asked the General Medical Council to lift restrictions placed on her following the conviction.
Dr Checinski, a senior lecturer in addictive behaviour at St George's, University of London, in Tooting, was quoted in the media recently during the row over "legal highs" such as mephedrone, known as Meow Meow. He had also been a medical examiner and supervisor for the GMC.
Yesterday a GMC fitness to practise panel heard that the woman, referred to as Dr X, had been his patient and he was spotted visiting her home "three or four times a week".
After being convicted of drink-driving, Dr X was called before the GMC, which let her continue working, but imposed a string of conditions on her. Dr Checinski wrote two e-mails in 2009 asking the GMC to reconsider the sanctions.
Its chairman, Professor Tim Hendra, told Dr Checinski he had committed "abuse of the status and role that you held with the GMC". Dr Checinski admitted it was "dishonest" to fail to tell the GMC about the friendship. He was suspended for a year.
