Dr Alan Begg

06 Sep 07

The best thing about my practice is appreciative patients.

And the worst is the high running costs of a PFI health centre.

My greatest fear is losing the ‘buzz’ from contact with patients.

The trait I most dislike in myself is my intolerance of excessive waffle.

The trait I most dislike in others is arrogance.

My greatest achievement is receiving national recognition of my work on CHD prevention.

I first became interested in cardiovascular disease when I screened and managed an extended family for familial hypercholesterolaemia. Unfortunately, 20 years later they are having CHD events.

If the Framingham score were a car it would be accepted for its deficiencies. We would make sure that all users knew its limitations until we had a robust alternative.

My most treasured possession is my girls.

My children not being home by curfew time keeps me awake at night.

I relax by pottering about in my greenhouse.

The time a patient’s footstool collapsed under my weight is one of my funniest moments as a GP.

Montrose remains the place I would most like to practise as a GP. We have a lovely coastline with the Scottish hills not far away.

The vehicle I own is an Audi A4.

My favourite word is evidence.

The book I’m reading at the moment is a biography of Andrew W Mellon – political and financial power of an American dynasty.

My guiltiest pleasure is good-quality bubbly.

If I could do one thing to change the world, it would be to end deaths from childhood infections.

‘I need a holiday’ is the best reason for a sicknote a patient has given me.

The guests at my ideal dinner party would be Barack Obama, Shazia Mirza, Alistair Campbell and Polly Toynbee.

My favourite fictional GP is Dr Andrew Manson in The Citadel.

If I wasn’t a GP, I’d be a ‘professional’ skier.