London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A West London doctor who touched a woman’s breasts in a hospital store closet and then advised her “Please don’t tell anyone” has been expelled.
Senthil Panneerselvam, an ex-specialist registrar at the leading Harefield NHS Hospital in Uxbridge, was banned from the profession after a wrongdoing tribunal heard how he pushed a patient lie down on the cupboard base and groped her breasts in what she considered was a medical exam. The July 2 2021 happening came to light after she informed other physicians.
Panneerselvam rejected any wrongdoing, but the medical practitioner’s tribunal service, which governs misconduct cases in the industry, ruled against him, discovering he had carried out the exam for sexual gratification. It heard how he had advised the patient to lie on the cupboard floor under the veneer of privacy, before asking her to unbutton her blouse, and then lifted her bra and started “stroking” her breasts.
How did the patient describe her experience with Panneerselvam?
She described the tribunal: “I could feel Dr Panneerselvam nearer behind me and his breathing growing rapidly, and I felt uneasy with the way he was touching me.
“I froze for a moment attempting to understand what was occurring. I got the courage and I said ‘I feel uncomfortable now’ whilst moving away from him pulling my blouse back on and beginning to button my blouse.” Afterwards, he advised her: “Please don’t tell anyone I examined you without an aid as I could lose my career”, or words to that effect, the tribunal found. He also revealed pictures on his phone of women’s breasts with hands on them seeming to be from an examination in a bid to justify his actions.
What did the tribunal conclude about Panneerselvam’s conduct?
Panneerselvam, who did not attend the tribunal, told the hearing in a declaration that he was performing an “unofficial examination” and “thought he was being helpful.” The tribunal said: “The Tribunal took the view that Ms A’s relationship with Dr Panneerselvam was based on trust which he had exploited to blatantly seek his sexual gratification under the guise of a clinical examination. “His conduct fell quite below the standard expected of a doctor.”
It called him to be struck off from the register, with a suspension order to cover an appeals period, suggesting he would not be able to practise again while the bar is in place.