A UK court has sentenced 61-year-old Nigerian-born doctor Richard Akinrolabu to three years in prison after he admitted to defrauding the NHS of more than £268,000.
Akinrolabu, who worked as a specialist registrar at the Princess Royal University Hospital, repeatedly claimed he was medically unfit for duty, yet secretly took on night and on-call shifts at several other NHS trusts between 2018 and 2021. The scheme came to light after a tip-off in 2021 revealed he had been working at Basildon Hospital. Further investigations uncovered additional undeclared shifts across multiple NHS institutions.
Judge David Miller condemned the act as a major breach of trust, stressing that patients expect honesty from healthcare professionals. The NHS Counter Fraud Authority also described the case as a deliberate abuse of the system and a loss of funds intended for patient care.
Akinrolabu, who had previously been cleared in a separate GMC matter in 2006, may now face additional regulatory action, including possible removal from the medical register.
What safeguards do you think hospitals should strengthen, both in the UK and across Africa, to prevent this kind of professional misconduct?
#HealthSectorIntegrity #MedicalEthics #NHSFraud
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