Dr Gurkirit Singh Kalkat lied about having terminal cancer to benefit himself and deflect scrutiny, while harming a vulnerable patient through years of unsafe prescribing, false accusations, and exploitation.

He was found guilty of serious professional misconduct - including dishonesty, blackmail, and attempts to suppress complaints. Despite this, after just 12 months’ suspension he has been allowed to return to full practice with no restrictions.

This is a dangerous precedent. A doctor who lied, harmed, and manipulated is now free to treat vulnerable patients again, while the patient whose life was devastated has been left with no safeguarding, no therapy, and no support.

Dr Gurkirit Singh Kalkat was suspended for 12 months after the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) found he acted dishonestly, exploited a vulnerable patient, lied about having terminal cancer, and attempted to suppress complaints. One patient’s life has been devastated by years of unsafe prescribing, wrongful arrest, and multiple life-limiting health conditions - yet Dr Kalkat has never personally apologised. The patient has received no mental health support or therapy, while Dr Kalkat completed just a few remediation sessions before being deemed “fit to practise.”

He is due to return to unrestricted practice in August 2025. We call on the General Medical Council to prevent his full reinstatement without strict, permanent safeguards.

Why This Matters

The Official Findings

In July 2024, the MPTS ruled that Dr Kalkat had:

Manipulated a vulnerable patient into signing agreements under inappropriate conditions.

Lied about having terminal cancer - elaborating that he was going to America for treatment and “didn’t have long left to live.” This profoundly serious falsehood not only undermined the trust patients place in doctors, but also made the patient feel guilty and reluctant to ask for help with his own conditions.

Made a false allegation of assault to the police, resulting in the patient being placed on a violent patient scheme.

Acted dishonestly to suppress complaints and mislead the GMC.

The tribunal found this behaviour to be a serious breach of trust, falling far below the standards expected of a doctor. His fitness to practise was deemed impaired, and a 12-month suspension was imposed.

The Human Impact

One patient endured over a decade of unsafe prescribing between 2012 and 2020:

Prescriptions for powerful drugs were repeatedly increased despite worsening symptoms and warnings from specialists.

The patient developed multiple life-limiting conditions, including medically induced chronic pancreatitis, autoimmune illness, heart disease, and psychiatric injury (PTSD, anxiety, depression).

He was wrongfully accused of assault, arrested, and labelled as a violent patient.

He nearly died twice, lost his home, his relationships, and his ability to work.

The patient only realised the full extent of the harm in 2022 after a long hospital stay, during which medical staff told him the medications he had been prescribed were unsafe. He had trusted Dr Kalkat implicitly, which delayed his ability to question what had happened or seek legal help.

On the day of the alleged assault, the practice manager - who was also Dr Kalkat’s wife - sent the patient straight into his office rather than asking him to wait in reception as usual, raising serious concerns about collusion.

When the patient later tried to complain to NHS England, he was told to take it up with the practice manager first - but this was impossible, as the practice manager was Dr Kalkat’s wife. This left the patient trapped in a system with no fair route to speak up.

While Dr Kalkat was able to complete a handful of remediation sessions following the GMC’s ruling, the patient whose life was devastated by his actions has received no mental health support or therapy at all. This stark contrast underlines the injustice of the process - the professional receives structured rehabilitation, while the victim is left without help.

The patient had been promised by the GMC that he would be safeguarded throughout this process. Yet Dr Kalkat is now set to practise in the same local area where the patient’s children live, causing further distress and raising serious safeguarding concerns.

To make matters worse, the patient was not even informed of the GMC’s ruling. He discovered the outcome through a report in the local press - a shocking oversight for someone so directly affected by the case.

Even more disturbing is the double standard in outcomes. Dr Kalkat is allowed to return to practice after admitting he lied - including making a false allegation of assault - yet the patient remains on the NHS Special Allocation Scheme for “violent patients,” despite it being proven he never assaulted the doctor. This label continues to cause him discrimination when calling NHS services or attending hospital appointments, compounding the harm and humiliation he has endured.

No Apology, No Real Accountability

Despite the proven misconduct and devastating impact, Dr Kalkat has never personally apologised to the patient whose trust he exploited. This lack of direct acknowledgement raises serious questions about whether his remediation is genuine and whether he is fit to treat patients without supervision.

A System That Puts Patients at Risk

If an employee in almost any other profession committed gross misconduct - such as lying repeatedly, making false accusations, and breaching trust - they would be dismissed permanently and barred from returning to their role.

Yet in medicine, even after proven serious misconduct, a doctor can be reinstated after just 12 months and a handful of supervised sessions with a senior colleague before being deemed “fit to practise.”

This case exposes a troubling flaw in the system: the General Medical Council’s disciplinary process appears far more lenient than the standards applied in most workplaces. We believe the GMC urgently needs to overhaul how it deals with doctors who commit serious breaches of trust, prioritising patient safety above professional rehabilitation.

Why We Are Concerned Now

Dr Kalkat’s suspension ends 19 August 2025, after which he will be able to return to unrestricted medical practice. While the tribunal concluded that his risk of repetition is now “significantly reduced,” there is no guarantee that similar harm will not occur again - especially if he is allowed to practise without conditions.

What We Are Asking For

We call on the General Medical Council to:

Reconsider whether Dr Kalkat should be allowed to return to unrestricted practice.

If reinstated, impose permanent conditions such as:

Ongoing supervision.

Restrictions on prescribing controlled or high-risk medications.

Prohibition from treating vulnerable patients without oversight.

Conduct an independent review of his past prescribing patterns and treatment decisions.

How You Can Help

Sign this petition to demand accountability, protect future patients, and send a clear message: serious breaches of trust and patient safety must have lasting consequences.