STOP PRESS: Verdict in Doctor Copyright Hearing

On Tuesday the IPKat reported on the plagiaristic activities of Dr Raj Persaud, celebrity doctor and media personality. It has just been reported by the BBC that the General Medical Council has suspended Dr Persaud from his medical practice for three months. The GMC ruled he had brought his profession into disrepute, adding that itnwanted to send a message that his actions were "unacceptable". The GMC's official statement stated that the body had "

responsibility to protect the public interest, particularly with reference to maintaining public confidence in the profession and upholding proper standards of conduct and behaviour".

The IPKat would like to know how a three-month suspension stands in terms of other misdemeanours within the medical profession, such as sexual misconduct, leaving scalpels inside patients in the operating theatre or misprescribing drugs. Can anyone advise? Merpel adds, it shouldn't happen to a vet ...