Breast-fondling Rotherham doctor struck off

Dr Parag Bhatt (46), was sexually motivated as he groped his victims—including one who was seeking help for a swollen finger—at a practice in Rawmarsh, a disciplinary panel ruled.

The General Medical Council fitness to practise panel heard how one patient had felt “violated” after her visit and another described his behaviour as “pervy.”

One patient, aged 16, has since been unable to seek medical help unaccompanied.

The GP was found guilty of misconduct in relation to his treatment of six patients at the Rosehill Medical Centre where he worked between January 2007 and September 2007.

In all of the cases, in which he touched their breasts as part of the examinations, he was found to have failed to provide adequate explanations to the patients as to what he was doing.

The panel ruled there was no clinical reason for five of the intimate check-ups which were also inappropriate and that he failed to offer a chaperone to four of the patients.

The hearing heard one woman—known as Patient C—went to see Dr Bhatt with a swollen finger and complaints of palpitations.

But rather than examine her heart, Dr Bhatt unzipped her top put his hand into her bra and took out her left breast. She complained of feeling “violated,” the panel heard.

Patient D—the 16-year-old—was subjected to having him put both his hands around each of her breasts and he then shook them while breathing heavily. He also rubbed her nipples with his fingertips.

It was the first time the 16-year-old had visited a doctor on her own and since then she always insisted on seeing a doctor while accompanied.

The GP was found guilty of misconduct in relation to his treatment of six patients at the centre, where he worked between January 2007 and September 2007.

In all of the cases, during which he touched their breasts as part of the examinations, he was found to have failed to provide adequate explanations to the patients.

The panel ruled there was no clinical reason for five of the intimate check-ups which were also inappropriate and that he failed to offer a chaperone to four of the patients.

It found he had committed a “gross abuse” of authority and trust and struck him off the medical register immediately. Dr Bhatt worked under interim conditions for more than a year until being struck off.

Panel chairman Roland Doven said: “Your actions in relation to patients C, D, E and F were a gross abuse of your position of authority and the trust which the patients placed in you. Your actions caused harm to your patients.

“The panel considers your conduct to be fundamentally incompatible with your continuing to be a registered medical practitioner.”

Dr Bhatt had been working under interim conditions for more than a year up until his erasure at the hearing in Manchester.

He was prevented from undertaking intimate examinations of female patients without a fully registered doctor or nurse present as a chaperone.

The panel noted, though, that his use of chaperones was not formally monitored in at least one practice where he had been working and that he had been undertaking home visits.