A doctor who was suspended for groping a patient’s breasts has been banned from medicine for life.
Dr Subhas Pattar was hauled before the General Medical Council after a string of patient complaints emerged two years ago.
He was suspended from the medical register after a panel heard lurid allegations that he had performed an ”indecent” breast examination on a female without her permission in September 2005.
Dr Pattar, a physician and gastroenterologist from Leicester, tried to have the suspension lifted at a GMC Professional Conduct hearing in Birmingham two weeks ago.
But he was struck off after the watchdog decided he had still not accepted his behavior was inappropriate and because he had failed to improve his clinical practice.
A GMC hearing in January 2008 heard how Pattar was working as a locum at a clinic in Manchester when a young female complained about sharp pain in the middle of her chest.
But instead of telling her why he needed to do the examination, or asking permission, Pattar simply told her to lift up her top.
He then put his hands up her bra, cupping both breasts, and did not stop when she said: ”I am not happy with this, I do not know why you are doing it.”
Other complaints against Dr Pattar included him taking four hours to assess a patient with severe liver disease.
He also changed a terminally ill patient’s pain management plan, disregarding advice from MacMillan nurses – experts in cancer pain relief.
Other allegations made included that he reduced a patient to tears during a consultation and reprimanded a woman with a psychotic illness who was unable to eat due to a virus, for not taking her medication.
Pattar was sacked from the clinic run by South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust but has maintained his innocence.
The appeal panel at the recent hearing found that the suspension was justified and that he should be banned for life.
In its conclusion, the panel said: ”We consider that Dr Pattar’s behaviour towards the patient and, more recently towards his regulatory body, demonstrates an attitudinal problem.
”He seems unable to accept that his conduct towards the woman was wrong and refuses to accept the validity of the previous panel’s findings.
”With regard to deficient professional performance, we have no new evidence before us today to demonstrate that Dr Pattar has addressed the concerns of the previous panel in any way whatsoever.
”The panel has determined to erase Dr Pattar’s name from the Medical Register.”
Speaking at the time of his suspension two years ago, Pattar said: ”I have done
absolutely nothing wrong.
”I was interviewed by the police and they said they found nothing wrong. They said it would have to be treated as a civil matter. I carried out a normal breast examination and am deeply upset.
”This is the worst experience of my life. Hundreds of complaints have been fabricated against me. They are all fake.
”I can prove that they did not happen and have been made up by the GMC and the hospital, who want to finish me off.’