A young doctor has been struck off the medical register for six months after he admitted last year to the possession of heroin and cannabis.

For the next five years, the doctor, Richard Coleiro, will also have to submit quarterly certificates from two doctors specialised in the field declaring he is free of substance abuse.

The Medical Council yesterday found Dr Coleiro guilty of bad professional and ethical behaviour. At the time, the Luqa doctor was a senior house officer at Mount Carmel Hospital.

The case goes back to last June when Dr Coleiro was conditionally discharged for three months after admitting to heroin and cannabis possession. The court said Dr Coleiro collaborated with the police. The council was informed of the case last October and embarked on an inquiry a month later.

The doctor appeared before the council in February and his lawyer, Emanuel Mallia, said Dr Coleiro had overcome his problem - which was a sporadic one. The doctor does not have a criminal record and has the support of his family and girlfriend.

Although Dr Coleiro did not undergo a rehabilitation programme, he sought individual help.

The council also received medical certificates from two doctors who said Dr Coleiro was free of drug use.

The Medical Council, presided over by Judge Albert Manché, expressed its belief that Dr Coleiro should be given the opportunity to start practising his profession again while ensuring that his patients are protected.

In a separate ruling, the council cautioned another doctor for not taking all the necessary precautions before issuing two medical certificates to a 14-year-old girl who visited him unaccompanied by her parents.

The teenager, from Pietà, then used the certificates to play truant from school. It was the youngster's mother who complained after discovering that her daughter was not attending school, although she had been accompanied there every day. The doctor, Adrian Vassallo, had pleaded not guilty.