Doctor struck off for risking patients' lives

Wlodzimierz Dzikowski, 65, who runs Medical and Psychiatric Services clinics in Crawford Place and Edgware Road, was banned from prescribing methadone - a substitute given to heroin users - after a
38-year-old patient of his needed his leg amputated when he tried to inject the crushed sedatives into his groin.

One of Dzikowski's 27-year-old female patients developed deep vein thrombosis, again after she injected drugs he had prescribed to her, because he failed to monitor her progress properly.

On Friday, the General Medical Council (GMC) found he repeatedly prescribed methadone to drug addicts - even though the GMC ordered him not to in 2003 - and threw him out of the medical profession.

Chair of the misconduct committee Jackie Mitton said Dzikowski presented a serious risk to patients. "You have shown by your conduct and confirmed in your submissions that, if you do not agree with a requirement
placed upon you, you will not comply with it.

"The panel has therefore concluded that there is a significant risk that you would not comply if a further period of conditions were placed on your registration.

"The panel takes a very serious view of your history of misconduct and repeated failures."

Dr Dzikowski started his drugs detox clinics in 1997.

He said: "When I've been without work in the last few months, it's a hell of unbelievable suffering. I'm sleeping one or two hours a night.

"Always as a rule I was trying to be careful with the prescribing.

"I must say that working with this category of patients is outside my capacity at my age, because this job is absolutely demanding.

"I have had the opportunity to work for many years and it was a great privilege to do so."

During the original hearing in 2003, Dr Dzikowski escaped being struck off over his dangerous but 'well-intentioned' practice, and was ordered to retrain in the treatment of drug users.