Lloydminster MD facing charges over conduct
A Lloydminster doctor is facing charges of unprofessional conduct by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with a patient.
Charges were laid against Dr. Mohammed A.R. Sayeed on July 10 in response to a complaint made to the college by a female patient in her early 30s.
It’s alleged Sayeed had a consensual sexual relationship with the patient, said Bryan Salte, associate registrar and legal counsel for the college. “What she’s explained is that she came to the recognition over time that this was wrong and that this was inappropriate for Dr. Sayeed and consequently she filed the complaint with the college,” Salte said.
The college is charging Sayeed with unbecoming, improper, unprofessional or discreditable conduct contrary to the Medical Profession Act.
“There’s a very strong ethical prohibition in the standards of the medical profession, and in our bylaws, against having a sexual relationship with an existing patient,” Salte said. “And consequently the charge says that Dr. Sayeed engaged in a sexual relationship with a patient which breached the ethical and bylaw requirements of our college.”
The alleged sexual relationship occurred during 2016 and 2017.
The college has informed Sayeed of the unprofessional conduct charges. Salte is in discussion with his legal counsel. Sayeed declined to comment when contacted at the Family Medical Clinic in Lloydminster where he is continuing to practise.
“At this point, we don’t have a formal admission nor do we have a formal denial,” Salte said. “If we aren’t able to agree on a resolution,
then presumably there would be a hearing to determine if there was such a relationship.”
If Sayeed admits to the charges, the expectation is he would do so in sufficient time so the matter can be dealt with at a penalty hearing in September, he said.
“If that’s not going to be the case then we would be looking to set the matter down for a hearing as soon as we can,” Salte said.
This is the first time Sayeed has been charged with unprofessional conduct.
“He’s practising subject to an undertaking that he would have a chaperone present for all examinations of female patients while this matter is resolved,” Salte said.
It’s not mandatory for Saskatchewan doctors to have chaperones in the room when they perform intimate examinations of female patients, but the college recommends it for the protection of patients and physicians.
“It’s been a subject of discussion at our council on a number of occasions,” Salte said. “In some cases, chaperones are not available. There’s also some other concerns associated with it, so there are physicians who adopt different practices with having chaperones present.”
Over the years Salte has been at the college, he said there have been instances where patients misunderstood what occurred during an examination.
“They’ve felt offended and, of course, if there had been a third party in the room for the examination that would add some independent information as to what exactly had occurred in the course of that examination,” he said.
In three cases where Saskatchewan doctors were found guilty of sexual boundary breach, their licences were revoked and they had to wait nine months before reapplying.
Additionally, they had to go through counselling in relation to sexual abuse to understand the impact it can have on patients and ensure it doesn’t occur again.
“They’ll also go through an independent multidisciplinary assessment that would assess whether there is a risk of a repetition of that conduct,” Salte said. “Only after the physician has met with those conditions are they eligible to reapply for a licence.”