By Luke Donnelly - Mirror Newspaper 14.10.2024 - [ENGLAND] - [Senthil Panneerselvam] A doctor who groped a woman's breasts at a London hospital has been struck off.
A Medical Practitioners Tribunal found Dr Senthil Panneerselvam conducted an inappropriate examination of the victim for his own sexual gratification. The incident happened in 2021 when the patient was at Harefield Hospital for an appointment regarding their underlying lung condition. The cardiologist initially told her to lie down on the floor of the filing store cupboard, open the buttons of her blouse and lift up her bra.
Dr Panneerselvam then lifted up the victim’s bra himself fully exposing her breasts before placing both hands on her breasts. Describing what happened in a witness statement, she said: “I could feel Dr Panneerselvam closer behind me and his breathing increasing rapidly, and I really felt uncomfortable with the way he was touching me.
"I froze for a moment trying to understand what was happening. I got the courage and I said ‘I feel really uncomfortable now’ whilst moving away from him pulling my blouse back on and starting to button my blouse. Dr Panneerselvam then said sorry as I was trying to hurriedly button my blouse.” He then asked if he could undo her bra whilst she was in a standing position and put his hands on her breasts again. The tribunal then found the cardiologist showed her pictures on his phone of other women’s breasts with hands on them appearing to be from an examination and said “please don’t tell anyone I examined you without an assistant as I could lose my career”.
Later the same day the victim told staff at Bishops Wood Hospital in Northwood about the sexual assault. This was relayed to a senior manager who spoke to her before contacting the management team of Harefield Hospital, reported MyLondon.
The victim then attended Hayes Police Station and provided a detailed account of the incident, before returning for a video statement. The victim also said she was unable to return to work some weeks after the incident as she was living with PTSD. Following a hearing which concluded on September 20 this year, the tribunal ruled Dr Panneerselvam’s acts were sexually motivated. It added the examination was a facade to examine her for his own sexual gratification. It ruled: “Doctors hold a trusted position in society by virtue of their professional status. Ms A trusted Dr Panneerselvam because he was a doctor. She only entered the filing store room with him, undid some of her clothing and allowed him to conduct a purported examination on her because she trusted him as a doctor.
“His conduct fell seriously below the standard expected of a doctor. It seriously impacted the victim, and public confidence in the medical profession would inevitably be adversely affected by his actions.”
The tribunal acted to remove his name from the medical register, with a suspension order to cover an appeals period. A spokesperson for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said: "The incident took place on Dr Senthil Panneerselvam’s last day of employment with the Trust. As soon as we were made aware of the incident we notified the relevant authorities, including the GMC and the police to undertake their own investigations.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and were abused in state run medical and health facilities, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm.
Dignity4Patients Commentary:- Swift action by the hospital in reporting the allegation to the Medical Council and relevant authorities ensures that those that violate the doctor-patient relationship are removed from healthcare quickly. This avoids risk and trauma to other patients. #ComplaintsReporting #PatientAbuse #PatientProtection