Dr Ian Campbell (63), of Lynn Road, Snettisham, retired from the Heacham Group Practice in July, 2005, after 32 years and has now given up being a GP.

He is undergoing treatment at an immune therapy centre in the Bahamas after being diagnosed with the industrial lung disease mesothelioma, which he claims was contracted when he was exposed to asbestos and its dust in the 1960s.

Between 1960 and 1969, during weekends and holidays, he worked as a general hand in the laminated plastic products division of Allen and Hanburys – now part of GlaxoSmithKline – at its premises in Ware, Hertfordshire, and on site in Dresden, East Germany.

Ironically, his adoptive father, Dr Norman Campbell, was the managing director of the division that employed him.

He began experiencing symptoms of the disease in early 2006 when his health declined following the onset of a cough and he later suffered mild breathlessness.

Dr Campbell has undergone examination of his pleural cavity and had treatment to stop fluid building up around the lung, but has had pains in the surgical wound and his cough persists.

He is considering having major surgery to remove the lung on the affected side, an operation carried out where the cancer has been detected at an early stage to help the patient live longer.

The writ says the division Dr Campbell worked for in the 1960s produced agitators for stirring chemicals, repair kits for glass vessels, lids of various sizes for chemical vessels, sieves for the chemical industry and pipe systems of various sizes.

It used Ferobestos, a plastic material containing asbestos fibres, for various applications in the petroleum and chemical industry and he polished, screwed, shaped and drilled this material on the premises.

He also packed and unpacked Ferobestos products which had dust on them, and brushed up the debris in the workshop.

Dr Campbell was present as skilled men worked the Ferobestos using lathes and drills, releasing asbestos fibre and debris in the process. The writ claims the workshop was dusty and the extraction systems over the lathes and drills were inadequate.

At one point, he travelled to Dresden to repair large glass vessels. These containers were fitted with Ferobestos flanges and, although pre-machined, they needed finishing to fit precisely.

In these working conditions, the writ says he was "exposed to and inhaled much asbestos dust" and as a result contracted asbestos-related pleural mesothelioma.

The writ alleges Allen and Hanburys failed to ensure there was adequate ventilation of Dr Campbell's workplaces and ways of rendering harmless the asbestos dust.

It says the firm also failed to ensure that the premises were kept clean and free from asbestos waste, debris or dust, and failed to take all practicable measures to protect Dr Campbell inhaling it, such as providing him with an effective face mask or respirator.

Dr Campbell joined the Heacham practice in 1973 and over the years looked after about 2,000 patients. He earned a mention in the New Year's Honours List 2002, and received the Royal Victorian Order.

A GlaxoSmithKline spokesman said: "We have the deepest sympathy for Dr Campbell. We can confirm that a claim has been received by our insurers and is being progressed with all due diligence."

The spokesman said he could not comment on the specifics of an individual claim.