Dr David Fraser wants procedures tightened

Health officials in Fife have written to 350 of his patients offering them screening for the virus.

But Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust stressed that all procedures had been followed in monitoring the surgeon.

Medical director Dr David Fraser said the measures are flawed and alternatives must be put in place.

"We believe that there needs to be a tightening up of procedures nationally," he said.

"We are looking to the UK advisory bodies to be giving what advice should be given to prevent this type of episode happening again."

There is an incubation period of six weeks to six months before hepatitis B can be identified and I think that's a real problem

Danny Crawford, Scottish Association of Health Councils

He said that the surgeon had been tested and found to have antibodies to the virus.

"We followed all the procedures that are laid down," he said.

He also said it was "extremely unlikely" that anyone else would be found to have contracted the virus from Mr Mohammed.

Fife Health Board's acting director of public health, Dr Charles Saunders, said it was still not clear how the surgeon had come to be infectious when he had followed all the government guidance.

"The procedure would have been that the health care worker would have been immunised against hepatitis B and subsequently the antibodies checked to see that he was in fact immune," he said.

'Very worrying'

"That was followed, the antibody level was measured and that was within the normal level.

"It is a mystery as to how that person could have produced this antibody in response to immunisation, so the immunisation would appear to have been working, but still remain infectious."

Danny Crawford, of the Scottish Association of Health Councils, told BBC Scotland it was "very worrying" for the patients treated by Mr Mohammed.

He said it was "very rare" for someone to die from hepatitis B as most people were unaware they had the virus and did not need treatment.

The health board is contacting patients

And he said lessons had to be learned from the Fife case.

"There are very strict regulations covering the monitoring of staff to make sure staff don't have any infectious diseases that could possibly affect patients.

"In this case we are told all the proper procedures were carried out.

"The difficulty, I believe, is there is an incubation period of six weeks to six months before hepatitis B can be identified and I think that's a real problem."

Hepatitis B is a liver disease spread through body fluids. Symptoms include extreme tiredness, joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea and yellow skin.

Fife Health Board is operating a freephone helpline, which can be contacted on 0800 783 5066.