A junior doctor has been suspended from practice for four months after she fraudulently claimed more than £10,000 in state benefits while she was a medical student.
Fraudulent claims during medical degree
Dr Ramkali Kaur, aged 28, illegally received housing benefit, income support, and carer's allowance for two years while completing her five-year medical degree at Queen Mary University of London. The fraud took place between 2016 and 2018, after she failed to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of her change in circumstances upon starting university.
Kaur had originally begun claiming carer's allowance legitimately following a devastating house fire in 2016, which left her supporting a vulnerable family member. However, she continued to accept the payments after becoming a student, which she was not entitled to do.
Arrest and subsequent dishonesty
The scam came to light years later. In 2022, shortly after graduating and while working as a Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctor at Hereford County Hospital, Kaur was arrested at Heathrow Airport and charged with failing to disclose her student status.
She later admitted three counts of benefit fraud at magistrates' court and was given a two-year conditional discharge. Despite this, she subsequently lied about the situation to her employers.
When called to a back-to-work meeting with a Consultant Anaesthetist in October 2022, while off sick from her hospital role, she falsely claimed she had 'only just become' aware of the prosecution. She had also circled 'no' on her registration forms when asked if she was subject to any legal action.
Tribunal findings and suspension
A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) panel found her guilty of misconduct. The tribunal heard that Kaur attempted to shift blame onto an 'overbearing' female relative, alleging this person had promised to cancel the welfare claims but instead let them continue and even intercepted her post.
In her evidence, Kaur spoke of a challenging upbringing in a deprived area of Birmingham, where she was the first in her family to attend a prestigious grammar school. She cited financial hardship and family pressure following the house fire.
However, MPTS chairman Emma Gilberthorpe said Kaur's actions "demonstrated a repeated pattern of behaviour and failed to act with honesty and integrity." The tribunal found her evidence inconsistent and vague, particularly on why she did not inform the DWP of her student status. They found it implausible she would have received no bank statements or correspondence about the account used for the claims.
For the General Medical Council (GMC), Louise Cowen said: "Dr Kaur's conduct was of a repeated nature and showed a reckless disregard for professional standards. Her dishonesty was significant."
Kaur's counsel, Andrew Faux, argued she was a young doctor from a very challenging background who had made mistakes. He stated the risk of her repeating her actions was low, describing her response as putting her "head in the sand and hop[ing] things would go away."
The tribunal suspended Kaur's registration for four months. She will be allowed to return to practice once the suspension ends but will remain under regulatory oversight. The panel noted it was unclear whether she fully understood and accepted the wrongfulness of her actions.
