Samosa Master Freemason

Dr Shabbeer Qureshi is a GMC Panelist.

The GMC entry for this man is as follows.

"GP/ENT Surgery specialist. Refugee GP Tutor, London Deanery. GP Appraiser, Ealing PCT. Master Freemason. Diplomat, Royal College of Surgeons (London). Chairman, Southall Primary Care Commissioning Group. Member, Primary Care Commissioning Group, Ealing PCT. Member, Local Commissioning (PbC) Steering Group, Ealing PCT. Teacher and Examiner 3rd year medical student Imperial College London. Governor, Ealing Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London"

I got quite excited because this was the first Asian Panelist I had come across hence I have dubbed him the Samosa Master Freemason. Firstly, we must congratulate him for featuring his conflict so we all know his connections. Of course, I wonder how ethical it is for the GMC to allow masons on panels.

In the year 2000, the Independent told us as follows

"There are concerns within Whitehall that the GMC may have been slow to act against doctors because of a Freemason network within the NHS"

There are an estimated 8,000 masonic lodges in England and Wales. A number of leading hospitals, including the Royal London, have lodges, but exact figures are elusive and few doctors openly admit to being masons"

Again the BBC wrote

"There had been accusations that the General Medical Council (GMC) was adversely influenced by freemasonry and that this could be interfering with justice during their conduct cases.

And from the crypts of the past

The particular case which Richard Coleman had just mentioned was an example of how things worked. He was a Council member and the President had given him the impression that he had the authority to question things. However when he did so and it got to the President, the door was slammed shut in his face. After that, Richard Coleman thought that Finlay Scott had seen him as a member of the "awkward squad". That was slightly tied up with Richard Coleman’s comments on freemasonry. The GMC had been discussing a code of conduct. They were discussing the issue of relevant interests which needed to be disclosed. He had asked Donald Irvine and Finlay Scott, in the presence of Lady Tumin, whether Finlay Scott was a freemason. Finlay Scott had said that he was not prepared to tell Richard Coleman. Richard Coleman had then been concerned because the President had said that he would put Finlay Scott in charge of dealing with the code of conduct and working out what interests were relevant and needed to be disclosed. Richard Coleman felt that that was not appropriate in view of the Home Affairs Committee saying that those who acted in a judicial capacity they should declare their interest as freemasons.

Richard Coleman had mentioned this whole episode in front of the whole Council. He discussed this with a member of the GMC staff who had agreed with him that all interests should be declared. But after this incident, Finlay Scott had turned on him. Finlay Scott had refused to tell Richard Coleman whether he was a freemason even when it was relevant to the case which Richard Coleman was looking at at the time.

The rules had now changed and freemasonry was in fact something which voluntarily should be disclosed as a relevant interest. Richard Coleman had wondered at the time why Finlay Scott should not declare it. When the GMC had taken out an injunction against Richard Coleman, in a statement which Finlay Scott made to court, he made Richard Coleman out to look like some sort of radical anti-freemasonry campaigner. He thinks four members of the GMC now admitted to being freemasons. The code said that it was a relevant interest, but it was only voluntary for members to declare that. Before this was agreed, Finlay Scott had said in a newspaper that members had to declare any interest as a freemason. Richard Coleman had telephoned the paper and told them that that was not true. At that time only some months later did it change. Andrew Ketteringham had then written to the press saying that Finlay Scott was not a freemason. Richard Coleman had written to Andrew Ketteringham at that point asking why he had done so and whether he had checked with Finlay Scott whether he was a freemason or not or whether Finlay Scott had simply refused to tell him and he had assumed something. It turned out that the latter was the case.

Of course, the General Medical Council are of the view that just by declaring the issue makes it "Fair". No freemason should be sitting on panels at the GMC. It is worth finding out which panels this Samosa Mason sat on and whether the doctor was a undeclared mason. Now that would be fascinating :)