Indian-origin surgeon removed from UK medical register for allegedly making antisemitic comments on social media
Doctor Suspended
London: The General Medical Council of the United Kingdom has struck off the name of an Indian-origin surgeon, who worked with the National Health Service (NHS) for 25 years, for making antisemitic comments on social media.
After completing his MBBS from the Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, (Calcutta Medical College) back in 1983, the concerned surgeon moved to the UK in 1985.
The Times of India has reported that on October 10, 2023, three days after the Nova festival massacre, the doctor, in a response to Mr A, wrote on Facebook, "When dealing with circumcised vermin like you, not even the strongest measures will help." He further added that he was "regretful enough rats were not liquidated at Auschwitz".
In the same rant, the doctor called Mr. A a "Jewish c**t" and "Jewboy" and also wrote "Die Juden sind unsere Ungluck (The Jews are our misfortune)". Regarding Mr. A, the doctor wrote, "Good thing he is no longer in a respectful place like India. He belongs in the flames of a crematorium."
These comments were made when the doctor was working as a surgeon at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow. Consequently, Mr. A complained about the doctor to the General Medical Council (GMC) and the police.
Following this, the doctor was arrested and was issued a police caution. While considering the complaint, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service concluded that his conduct amounted to serious misconduct. It also held that immediate suspension and erasing the name of the doctor from the medical register were the only appropriate sanctions.
Further, the tribunal opined that his comments were antisemitic and seriously offensive, especially his reference to Auschwitz and the
crematorium. This, according to the tribunal, "went far beyond any acceptable or lawful expression of opinion."
The Tribunal further added that "The language used suggested a deep hostility towards Jews as a group, rather than merely a personal attack on the complainant."
It also noted that there was no written apology and that "the degree of hostility expressed in his comments is fundamentally incompatible with the duty of a doctor to treat patients equally." The tribunal opined that the doctor had brought the medical profession into disrepute.
On August 13, the doctor told the council that he did not wish to participate in the hearing and said "to go ahead and good luck". As per the TOI report, in an email from the doctor to the GMC back in February 2024, he wrote, "In the heat of the moment I made wrongful and injudicious remarks — for which I have apologised in public on Facebook as well as privately to the police. Those remarks are entirely out of character."
Also Read: 2 doctors suspended over negligence in child's arm amputation at Palakkad Hospital
