Hospital doctor admits misconduct over contacting patient to get illegal steroids for 'muscle gains'
Dr Mohd Khallis Abdul Hamid faced a series of allegations before a Medical Council inquiry
A hospital doctor has admitted to three counts of professional misconduct over contacting a patient to obtain illegal anabolic steroids which he used “as a shortcut to muscle gains.”
Dr Mohd Khallis Abdul Hamid faced a series of allegations before a Medical Council inquiry on Monday over his interaction with a patient he had treated while working in the emergency department at Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan, Co Meath.
Dr Hamid admitted obtaining the mobile phone number of a male identified only as Patient A on an unknown date in 2015 for a purpose unrelated to his treatment.
READ MORE: Budget 2025: Heather Humphreys doubles down on call for different pension and jobseeker increases
READ MORE: When is Ireland's Budget 2025, where can I watch it and what's in it for me?
Counsel for the Medical Council, Shelley Horan BL, said such an action represented a breach of patient confidentiality and data protection rights.
Dr Hamid had treated Patient A after he had collapsed and passed out after injecting himself with anabolic steroids. The doctor accepted that he had also sent messages via WhatsApp to Patient A between April 2016 and May 2017 for the purpose of obtaining illegal anabolic steroids.
Dr Hamid – who qualified as a doctor in Ireland and now works as a senior registrar at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth – admitted a third charge that he had obtained illegal drugs used to promote muscle growth for his personal use.
“It was wrong. I don’t have any excuses. It is what it is,” he told the inquiry. The doctor acknowledged that he knew that Patient A was not a medical practitioner or pharmacist and was not entitled to supply the drugs and that he did not have a valid prescription for the steroids.
The council’s Fitness-to-Practise Committee heard that the case arose from an investigation by the Health Products Regulatory Authority in 2017 into the unauthorised importation of anabolic steroids.
HPRA enforcement officer, Alan Smullen, told the inquiry that Patient A had imported up to 50,000 tablets by post and had been prosecuted as a result of the investigation.
Mr Smullen said a mobile phone seized during a search of premises linked to Patient A had contained texts which indicated some of the drugs had been provided to a contact listed as “Dr Alex Hospital” which he had traced to Dr Hamid.
The inquiry heard that the doctor had texted Patient A on April 24, 2016 to see if he was still selling “roids” as he had obtained drugs twice previously from him. Other texts showed that Patient A had informed the doctor on another occasion that he had “amazing new stuff” available.
In a statement provided to the HPRA in October 2017, Dr Hamid said he had initially got Patient’s A mobile phone number to contact him about the results of a CT scan but subsequently rang him to ask if he knew anyone selling anabolic steroids. The doctor explained that he knew Patient A was taking such drugs because of his size. “You don’t get that big by working out and eating healthy,” he told the HPRA.
Dr Hamid said he was recommended Anavar and testosterone injections by Patient A and told to collect them in a shop in Navan for which he paid around €400 for three months’ supply.
The doctor said he last spoke to Patient A in May 2017 to order more steroids but he had not gone ahead with the purchase as they were too expensive at €560. Mr Smullen told the inquiry that Dr Hamid had been cooperative with the HPRA investigation and was willing to attend court as a witness, although ultimately he was not required to give evidence.
The inquiry heard that Dr Hamid had told the Medical Council in correspondence in February 2023 that he had bought anabolic steroids because he was naïve and thought they would fix his body image problems. Dr Hamid said he had spent countless hours in a gym and had followed a strict diet in trying to obtain “an unrealistic body.”
The doctor, who said he took great pride in his job, admitted he had shown poor judgement but stressed he had not used any steroids now for many years. He added: “I’ve certainly matured and learned from my past mistakes. I’m happy with my body and appreciate my imperfections.”
The inquiry heard that the doctor had submitted “embarrassing” photos of himself to the Medical Council to show unwanted side-effects of taking the drugs including losing his hair. An expert witness, Gareth Quin, said the three allegations against Dr Hamid constituted professional misconduct if proven.
Dr Quin, who is a consultant in emergency medicine in University Hospital Limerick, said they represented conduct that would be considered dishonourable and disgraceful as well as falling short of the standards expected of doctors. However, Dr Quin said they did not represent poor professional performance as the allegations were unrelated to patient care.
The chairperson of the inquiry, Jim O’Sullivan, closed the hearing without making any formal findings against Dr Hamid on foot of an undertaking by the doctor in relation to a number of matters including an acceptance that he would be censured by the Medical Council.
The doctor also promised not to repeat the conduct that was the subject of the allegations including not taking any anabolic steroids without a valid prescription. He also agreed to undertake a course in GDPR and/or patient confidentiality within 12 months and to submit himself for any tests to check if he was still using anabolic steroids.
Sign up to the Irish Mirror's daily newsletter here and get breaking news and top stories direct to your inbox.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
