A&E doctor suspended over sexualised examinations

A "predatory" doctor used colleagues' medical conditions for his own "gratification", a tribunal has heard.

Dr Khush Bakhat Muhammad Zeeshan conducted "sexually motivated examinations" on two junior colleagues at the A&E department of the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, in Wigan, a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing was told.

The incidents were in 2021, after the women had spoken of their health concerns in front of him.

Zeeshan had denied the allegations against him, but was suspended from practising for a year.

One of the woman had complained of back pain, before Zeeshan offered to "manipulate" her back, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The tribunal found, on the balance of probabilities, he went on to straddle her and to touch her on the bottom and under her clothes.

A medical expert told the panel there was no reason for Zeeshan to do these things.

The second woman was speaking to other colleagues about a swollen lymph node in her groin when Zeeshan offered to check her armpits for lumps.

The woman said he told her she had a "higher risk of breast cancer" as a woman, and she accepted the examination because he was a "trusted medical professional".

The panel found that it was more likely than not that he had touched her breasts, and that this was "not reasonable" without "explicit consent".

The tribunal decided that "while [his action] possibly consistent with a clinical motive, was primarily motivated by the pursuit of his own sexual gratification".

Zeeshan was judged to have "exploited the health concerns of two female junior colleagues", with the panel ruling this "serious misconduct".

It added: "His behaviour was predatory and opportunistic."

However, a representative for Zeeshan told the panel the Dr had continued to work at the hospital in the five years since the incidents were first raised. There had been no further complaints against Zeeshan, he added.

Zeeshan had also completed two online courses related to consent in that time, and now insisted on a chaperone being present whenever he performed any intimate examinations, his representative said. Testimony from other colleagues about him was also positive, the hearing report states.

The tribunal said it was "encouraged by this" and accepted, in light of there being no evidence of further complaints against Zeeshan, that risk of repetition "may be very low".

However, it felt it could not "fully assess" the risk of repetition as Zeeshan's denial of the allegations meant he could not "demonstrate significant insight" into his misconduct.

The report added: "Accordingly, the Tribunal considers that Dr Zeeshan poses a current and ongoing risk to the health, safety and wellbeing of the public."

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