Dr. Vijay Vaswani was recently the vice president of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton's medical staff.
HAMILTON -- A top surgeon at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton has agreed to the indefinite suspension of his medical license for using cocaine recently and having substance abuse issues the past several years.
Dr. Vijay Vaswani was recently the vice president of RWJ Hamilton's medical staff. The hospital announced his immediate resignation from their staff on Dec. 31.
File photo On Dec. 23, Vaswani signed an consent agreement with the State Board of Medical Examiners ordering him to cease all medical activity and physically hand over his license.
The consent order states Vaswani has a long history with substance abuse and admitted to using cocaine on Dec. 18 or 19 last month.
It also says the doctor admitted to writing Percocet prescriptions for three people who were not his patients and had no medical use for the narcotics in order to obtain cocaine.
The order says Vaswani's actions show he's incapable of safely executing the responsibilities of practicing medicine and surgery in New Jersey, and that the allegations against him represent a "palpable demonstration of an imminent danger to the public."
The order was not publicly announced, but listed on the board's webpage on the state's Division of Consumer Affairs website.
An RWJ Hamilton spokesman said Tuesday the hospital had no comment, as Vaswani was not an actual employee of the hospital, but like many doctors had privileges to practice and perform surgery at the hospital.
RWJ Hamilton publicly announced Vaswani's addition to their staff in 2001, saying he received his bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College, his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and had completed his residency in general surgery at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.
The consent order says the medical examiner board's records show Vaswani has a long history with substance abuse. When he applied for his New Jersey medical license in 2001, he admitted to using cocaine and marijuana in college.
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And while still in his residency, the order states, Vaswani was enrolled in a Pennsylvania physicians health program and had undergone treatment for the abuse of Versed.
Versed is a sedative used to help patients, often children, feel relaxed or sleepy before surgery.
The New Jersey board licensed Vaswani with the agreement he participate anonymously in the board's alternate resolution program through a professional assistance program, the order says.
Vaswani participated in the program "uneventfully" until 2006, when he consumed Xanax and was involved in a motor-vehicle accident and was charged with driving under the influence.
Because of the length of his recovery, the board permitted Vaswani to continue in his recovery and complete treatment. He successfully completed the program and was allowed to withdraw from the board's assistance program in 2011.
On Dec. 22, Vaswani was interviewed by investigators from the state Division of Consumer Affairs and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The order did not describe why Vaswani was interviewed, but says the doctor admitted to suffering a relapse around 2012 and breaking state and federal drug laws.
In particular, the order said, he wrote the Percocet prescriptions and had used cocaine just days before, on Dec. 18 or Dec. 19.
Vaswani also agreed to surrender his federal DEA drug registration that same day, the order states.
Attempts to reach Vaswani at his medical office in Hamilton Tuesday were unsuccessful. A message instructs callers to contact another doctor's office.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
