A newly-qualified NHS doctor has been suspended for selling ‘quack remedies’ over Instagram which she bragged would protect people from Covid-19 and treat Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Dr Nimra Arshad, 29, branded herself as ‘Dr Drips’ offering IV infusions that she claimed she could ‘tailor’ to each customer ‘to help with any medical condition’.
She claimed they would treat anaemia, strengthen immune systems, promote weight loss, boost athletic performance and even help with pregnancy fatigue.
The mother-of-one partnered with The Core, a juicery in Salford, offering her custom IV infusions in the room above the health cafe.
One social media post read: ‘We cover all medical conditions. We can tailor make the IV drips to help with any medical conditions that you guys are suffering from. Absorption is 90% so you are guaranteed to see results within two to three days.’
Another post showed a patient who had an IV drip in their arm with the caption: ‘Vitamin C to boost your immune system is great for the elderly! Helps protect them from coronavirus! With cases increasing, we urge everyone to calm down and take some Vitamin C. You can build up your immunity with our Vitamin C IV Drip.’
She backed up her bold claims with boasts of being a ‘GMC certified Doctor’ on her Instagram account.
Dr Arshad was reported to the General Medical Council in March 2021 when concerns were raised about the effectiveness of her drips and her social media posts.
During the inquiry Professor Kevin O’Shaughnessy an Emeritus Professor in Clinical Pharmacologist at Cambridge University compiled a report about 18 posts on her Dr Drips page.
He said her posts advertising a Vitamin C drip as an antiviral agent for Covid-19 and the flu were ‘not evidence-based’ and were ‘designed to exploit patients fears’.
The Manchester hearing was told Dr Arshad who qualified at a university in Romania in 2020 set up Dr Drips after completing a course on Intravenous Nutritional Therapy when she was struggling to find work.
At the time she hoped the business would give her an income whilst she was not earning and living at home.
When questioned Dr Arshad blamed the social media content creator she had hired for making the misleading posts using information found on Google and US websites.
She said she had sent a specialist IV therapy manual to the content creator but admitted not checking the account again and was unaware of what was being posted.
She confessed that she was only interested in the number of bookings she was getting rather than the way in which the business was being advertised.
In a statement Dr Arsahd said she sacked the content creator in May 2021 after becoming aware the posts might be wrong.
She added: ‘I then kept an eye on the posts made by the Instagram account and l was sent drafts for approval. I monitored the posts to ensure they were accurate and I am confident that no false claims were made after that.’
However, the panel at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found she knowingly allowed four fake posts to be published.
Dr Arshad was suspended from medical practice for three months after she was found guilty of serious professional misconduct.
MPTS chairman Ms Amarjit Sagar said: ‘As a qualified doctor, she knew such IV infusions could not cure Covid-19. She would have been aware that Covid cases were rising and that such posts would exploit people’s fears.’
He added: ‘This dishonesty did not represent a momentary lapse of judgement. Dr Arshad intentionally marketed a product to the general public at a time of heightened anxiety, using claims that she knew to be untrue.’
Her Dr Drips firm was dissolved in 2022 and her business Instagram page was taken down.
She began working as a locum junior doctor looking after dementia patients at The Poplars health facility in Pontefract, West Yorkshire before her suspension.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
