Doctor’s training focus in sex trial
The trial of an Indian-educated Christchurch doctor facing multiple sex-related charges has heard how medical students in his native country were trained in how to physically examine patients.
Rakesh Kumar Chawdhry, 62, has pleaded not guilty to 15 charges of indecent assault and one of unlawful sexual connection at a judge-alone trial in the Christchurch District Court. Chawdhry graduated from Punjabi University in India in 1980 and applied to register as a medical practitioner in New Zealand in 2008. He became able to fully practise in New Zealand in 2010.
Dr Arnob Chakraborti, a psychiatrist based in Hastings who studied medicine in India between 1997 and 2001, described how doctors there were trained to physically examine a patient, including direct observation of symptoms and possibly touching.
He also told the court that foreign doctors who arrived to practise in New Zealand often received some cultural training.
‘‘It wasn’t mandatory from the Medical Council,’’ he said. ‘‘[But] there was a suggestion . . . that it was something that you should be doing. It was more around the importance of the family, the whanau, the principles of Maori culture.’’
The charges against Chawdhry relate to 14 men. Police allege the offending happened between 2011 and 2015 while Chawdhry worked at the Riccarton Clinic.
Heavy suppression surrounds the trial. Judge Jane Farish has suppressed complainants’ testimony until all have finished giving evidence, which is expected to take until the end of next week. Six complainants have testified so far. The Crown will call 24 witnesses.
The trial is set down for three weeks.
In May last year, The Press reported a man had complained to the Medical Council alleging Chawdhry was sexually inappropriate towards him during a consultation at the Riccarton Clinic.
Police were unable to investigate because the complainant had not contacted them. Privacy constraints meant the Medical Council could not share his details with other agencies.
After The Press’ story was published, police fielded several complaints about the doctor and launched an investigation.
The Riccarton Clinic then contacted Chawdhry’s former patients to see if there were others with concerns about his behaviour.
Chawdhry was arrested in June last year. He fought for name suppression, but it was declined and the media revealed his identity in December.
Riccarton Clinic general manager Marc Darvill previously said a patient made an allegation about Chawdhry to another clinic doctor during a consultation in December 2015. The Medical Council was alerted immediately.
Chawdhry, who had worked at the clinic on and off for several years as a self-employed contractor, was told not to see any more patients, Darvill said.
His contract was later terminated.
Chawdhry previously said the initial allegation against him was ‘‘either an overreaction or a complete fib’’.