Four hugs and an air kiss add up to suspension, fine and hearing costs for doctor

An Alberta doctor who hugged and air-kissed a clinic employee—upsetting her so badly she had to take time off work—has been suspended for three months and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine plus all investigation and hearing costs. Dr. Efe Michael Ovueni, a general practitioner in Calgary, is required to serve two weeks of his suspension within six months of the discipline tribunal’s decision, which was handed down on Dec. 20, 2021. The remaining two-and-a-half months will be held in abeyance for five years on condition that no further boundary complaints come to the attention of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. He's also required to complete and pass an ethics and boundaries course from the Center for Personalized Education for Physicians, within 12 months from the tribunal’s decision. Dr. Ovueni’s actions “were suggestive of escalation towards increasingly intimate contact,” wrote the tribunal. “Dr. Ovueni’s conduct crossed the appropriate boundaries between colleagues and resulted in feeling uncomfortable and disrespected.” During the investigation and hearing, Dr. Ovueni admitted that on Jan. 21, 2020 he called a female clinic employee into his office and hugged her four times over a 30-minute period. While he hugged the employee a final time, he also gave her an air-kiss. Read: Too much, too soon: Doctor suspended for having sex with patient who asked him out “(The employee) described feeling shocked at the time of the incident,” the tribunal wrote in its decision. “She was upset and required some time off work.” The employee also stated she would be “very uncomfortable working with Dr. Ovueni in the future and wished never to assist or see him again.” As a result, the employee’s day-to-day life was disrupted, wrote the tribunal, because staffing schedules at the clinic had to be arranged so that the employee and Dr. Ovueni would not be at work at the same time. After the incident, on the same day it happened, Dr. Ovueni sent the employee several texts saying: “Hope you are not mad with me?” and “I got too excited.” When the employee texted back that he had gone too far, Dr. Ovueni apologized and followed up with a text that said “Thank you for … your smile.” The employee’s complaint was subsequently bolstered by a complaint, about the same incident, from the clinic’s lead physician. That led to an undertaking by Dr. Ovueni to not work with unaccompanied female staff and to have a chaperone present when attending to female patients. The findings against Dr. Ovueni fall into the category of a boundary violation between a physician and a co-worker. His actions, according to the decision document, constitute unprofessional conduct under the Health Professions Act and contravenes section 31 of the Canadian Medical Association’s Code of Ethics and Professionalism, which requires physicians to treat colleagues with dignity and respect. “As a professional, Dr. Ovueni should have been aware of his position of authority over and should have recognized that his actions were not appropriate in the workplace, particularly with someone who was in a vulnerable position,” wrote the tribunal. Read: Déjà vu: After reinstatement in one province, doctor suspended over same case in another

Four hugs and an air kiss add up to suspension, fine and hearing costs for doctor

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