A FORMER Basildon Hospital doctor who was given a warning over “the way he practised medicine” has been told his discrimination case will be dropped unless he pays £1,000.

HM Courts and Tribunal Service records published yesterday reveal Dr Mohamed Hassaballa has taken the General Medical Council to court over allegations he was discriminated against over his sex and race.

However, an employment judge has ruled his claims “have little reasonable prospect of success” and has placed the doctor’s case on hold until he pays a deposit totalling £1,000.

Dr Hassaballa left his job at Basildon Hospital in October 2021 after he was given a final written warning because of “the way he practised medicine” earlier that year.

A separate investigation by the General Medical Council followed after he allegedly failed to complete paperwork to update his employment details correctly.

The doctor was also later accused of lying on a job application as he attempted to join another NHS trust. In the application, he failed to inform the trust he was under investigation by the General Medical Council.

A report by an employment judge says Dr Hassaballa, a Sudanese national, claims he was treated less favourably than doctors of other nationalities.

The General Medical Council had asked the judge to consider striking out the doctor’s claims, but this request was refused.

The judge ruled the claims couldn’t be ruled out entirely even though they had “little reasonable prospect of success”.

A deposit order of £500 in respect for each discrimination claim has been made, meaning a judgement won’t be made unless Dr Hassaballa pays £1,000.

Dr Hassaballa was banned from the profession after a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing last year.

The former doctor denied allegations he had wrongly answered “no” when he was asked if he was under investigation.

In a witness statement provided to a misconduct panel, he wrote: “In my mind there was nothing to investigate, and, in any event, it did not have any bearing on my suitability to work as I was clearly capable of working and doing well.

“I therefore genuinely answered ‘no’ as at the time, this is what I genuinely believed the answer to the question to be.”