A DOCTOR has been told to pay just £20,000 of a legal bill of more than £350,000 run up by two hospitals.

The order was made against children's surgeon Shiban Ahmed, who had been taken to an employment tribunal by the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and Alder Hay Hospital, in Liverpool, in a bid to recover the costs..

Most of the £350,000 was built up as the trusts prepared to defend a case of discrimination he was bringing against them.

The consultant had made 101 allegations in two-and-a-half years, accusing managers of targeting him for his race, religion and beliefs and for blowing the whistle on standards.

A 20-day tribunal had been scheduled to start in October 2010, when he planned to sue the hospitals for £300,000.

But two days before it was due to start, an insurance firm funding his action pulled out as legal fees soared.

At a two-day tribunal costs hearing in Manchester last month, Mr Ahmed's lawyer, John Lisners, said the trusts were now pursuing him for the £350,000 estimated legal bill run up by the NHS.

He warned that if such 'horrendous costs' were awarded, they would bankrupt him and ruin his family and future.

But in a reserved judgment, the surgeon was made to pay each hospital £10,000. Tribunal judge Stuart Robertson accused Mr Ahmed, of Altrincham, of 'acting unreasonably in the scatter-gun way he approached the issues in the case'.

Admitting the costs order was cautious and conservative, he said: "I prefer to veer on the side of caution given the uncertainty about the extent of the allegations which the claimant ought not to have pursued at all or for as long as he did."

In his 16-page written judgement, Mr Robertson criticised Mr Ahmed for bringing "a multiplicity of allegations" without considering their merits and so it was appropriate he should pay costs.

Mr Ahmed, who has worked at UHNS for nearly five years, was suspended on full pay for 14 months following concerns about how his mental wellbeing could affect his clinical judgement. He faced no disciplinary action and returned to work in April 2010.

Mr Lisners had told the hearing in Manchester how the Muslim surgeon had to operate on two Muslim baby boys at UHNS after their religious circumcisions had been botched at a "back street clinic".

He then pushed to carry out religious circumcisions on other boys in the hospital.

Mr Ahmed, who was unavailable for comment, has been backed by Stone MP Bill Cash, who said: "If he is satisfied with this outcome, it is a kind of victory.

"But I still don't believe they should have pursued him for costs, particularly after the way he has been treated."

A UHNS spokesman said: "Public sector organisations have a duty to recover costs incurred where appropriate.

"We made an application that the doctor contribute to our costs in defending the claim which was withdrawn late in the process. That application has been successful."

Ian Syme, of campaigners North Staffordshire Healthwatch, said: "This is a poisonous victory for the NHS as hundreds of thousands of pounds still has to come from the pubic purse.

"Each hospital employed expensive legal teams against an individual with limited resources. They used a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

Earlier article:

Doctor faces £350k costs after tribunal