10% OF DOCTORS ARE ADDICTED TO DRINK OR DRUGS

DRUG and alcohol abuse among doctors has risen to such a level that one in
10 could be suffering from an addiction, a study has shown. Up to 200,000
patients a day may be receiving treatment from doctors who are under the
influence of drink or narcotics.

The study has reinforced calls for the British Medical Association (BMA),
which represents doctors, to introduce random testing. Medical teams would
call at hospitals and surgeries without warning, to take blood and urine
samples.

Earlier this year the BMA published its own survey, which suggested that
about one in 15 practising doctors was dependent on drink or drugs. Figures
collected by the Sick Doctors Trust now indicate that this could be a
significant underestimate. It found 300 doctors a year are becoming
addicts.

"We have also seen a 30% increase this year in the number of people we are
referring for treatment," said Dr Ian Joiner, executive director of the
trust's helpline.

The new study, by Dr Patrick Dixon, coincides with a second analysis of the
BMA's figures which suggests that inherent flaws hid the full scale of the
problem. The re-analysis also indicates that one in 10 doctors have
addictions.

Dixon's research is published in his book The Truth About Drugs, which is
aimed at health professionals. "A patient undergoing surgery stands a 50%
chance of having an addicted doctor on the team treating him," he says.

"Every hospital and almost every large GP practice is affected. Random
breathalysing and drug-testing of doctors at work are the only ways to
tackle the problem."

The problem reflects the ease with which doctors can obtain drugs, combined
with stress caused by long working hours and the need to make instant
decisions which can mean life or death for patients.

Dr Clive Froggatt, 50, from Cheltenham, was a heroin addict while he
treated patients at his surgery and children at a local hospital. He wrote
himself drug prescriptions for four years. "I was taking it during the
working day because that's what addiction is all about. You don't have any
choice," he said.

A pharmacist reported Froggatt, who was given a one-year suspended jail
sentence for prescription fraud in 1994. The former health adviser to the
Tory government remains suspended by the General Medical Council. He says
lack of help for doctors discouraged him and others from seeking treatment.

Checked-by: Joel W. Johnson