GP who stole £1m from NHS for gambling debts is jailed

A FAMILY doctor embezzled £1 million from the NHS in six weeks to pay off his gambling debts, a court has heard, with the health service expected to be reimbursed by betting firms.

Rumi Chhapia, 45, stole the money during what prosecutors described as “six weeks of madness” involving 65 cash transfers from the healthcare group he founded in 2020.

The doctor found himself facing financial turmoil after amassing substantial losses playing online slot machine and roulette games, Portsmouth Crown Court was told.

He gambled away £2.5million, but had managed to recoup £1.2million of his losses, the court heard.

Chhapia took money from Portsmouth Primary Care Alliance (PPCA), a group of GP practices in and around the Hampshire city, whose role included tendering out-of-hour GP services.

Matthew Lawson, prosecuting, told the court that Chhapia, a father-of-one from Southsea, stole £1,133,704.50, of which he went on to repay £238,000.

The defendant was convicted of fraud by abuse of position and jailed for three years and four months.

Passing sentence, Judge Keith Cutler said: “You abused the trust placed on you and took £1.1million from the PPCA, money which should have been for GP surgeries to develop their services.

“This is a very serious abrogation of your responsibilities as a doctor – your duty as a GP should have been to provide the very best of care to your patients, that should have been the pinnacle of your care, but you were dishonest.

“You were seduced by your addiction to gambling.”