Chirag Patel Suspended: Wales Neurosurgeon Banned Over S*xual Relationship With Patient, Secret Opioid Prescriptions

A Cardiff neurosurgeon has been suspended for eight months after a medical tribunal found he engaged in a s*xual relationship with a patient under his care and secretly prescribed controlled painkillers without any clinical record.

Chirag Patel, a consultant neurosurgeon at University Hospital Wales, performed three surgical procedures on the patient between February 2019 and December 2021. Shortly after the first operation, the two entered into a s*xual relationship that lasted approximately six months. However, tribunal records revealed that a close personal relationship persisted well beyond that point, with Patel continuing to prescribe morphine sulphate tablets and diazepam to the patient between May 2022 and January 2023, without documenting any of it in hospital records or notifying her GP.

The Only Surgeon Who Could Treat Her

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) was told that Patel had been the only clinician in Wales capable of treating the patient's specific neurological condition, making the boundary violation all the more serious. GMC counsel Harriet Tighe described the misconduct as persistent, repeated, and a direct abuse of professional position, involving reckless disregard for both patient safety and established professional standards.

Blackmail Claims and Bitterly Regrets

Patel's defence counsel Fiona Robertson argued that the s*xual relationship had been instigated and largely driven by the patient herself, and that Patel had continued prescribing medication under duress after the patient allegedly threatened to expose him. In a written statement submitted to the tribunal, Patel said he feared losing a career he had worked tirelessly to build, and admitted that with hindsight he should have ended the relationship immediately and been honest with his employer. Pakistani-Origin Doctor Admits to Having S*x With Nurse While Patient Was Under Anaesthetic in UK’s Tameside General Hospital

The tribunal, however, found his behaviour reckless regardless of the alleged blackmail, noting that his decision to continue prescribing controlled substances off the record could not be justified under any circumstances.

Suspension, Not Erasure

Despite the gravity of the misconduct, the tribunal found that Patel had demonstrated genuine remorse, a high level of insight, and meaningful steps toward remediation, factors it said significantly reduced the risk of repeat behaviour. On that basis, the MPTS ruled that an eight-month suspension was the appropriate and proportionate sanction, sufficient to mark the seriousness of the case and send a clear signal to the wider medical profession that such conduct is wholly unacceptable.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board confirmed awareness of the suspension and stated that Patel was no longer employed by the board. The health board added that arrangements remained in place to ensure continued safe and high-quality patient care.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2026 10:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).