Unwelcome: Doctor who forced sex talk on female colleagues gets six-month suspension

An Alberta doctor who asked female colleagues about their sex lives and encouraged one to have sex with as many partners as possible has been suspended for six months and ordered to pay two-third of hearing costs. Dr. Aasim Malik, who works at the Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury in Ponoka, Alta., was also reprimanded by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta for prescribing amoxicillin to a child without seeing the patient or creating a medical record of the care provided. According to the decision document, on separate occasions between September 2015 and January 2017, Dr. Malik engaged in inappropriate behaviours that included asking female colleagues questions about whether or not they were sexually active, what their sexual preferences were, when they last had sex, and how many sexual partners they’d had. Read: Doctor found guilty of spiking fellow physician's drink with ecstasy On one occasion, according to the decision document, he asked one of the women what he should do to fulfill her sexual needs. On another occasion, he told a colleague she should sleep with as many different people as possible while she was young. He also shared details about his sex life with the women and hugged them without their consent, according to the decision document. In the course of the investigation, Dr. Malik admitted to the allegations and acknowledged his actions were inappropriate. He also also said his accusers had misunderstood his motivations for engaging in conversations about sex. In particular, it was not his intention to proposition any of them, according to the decision document. Read: Licence stripped from doctor who falsely logged mental instability in patient's medical file after she ended their affair Impact statements from two of the women revealed the distress they experienced because of Dr. Malik’s comments and unwelcome hugs. Both said the incidents made them feel uncomfortable in the workplace when Dr. Malik was present. “Dr. Malik’s actions crossed professional and personal boundaries and were inappropriate,” wrote the tribunal. “There was an unequal power dynamic between himself and his co-workers, and as a professional Dr. Malik should have been aware of his position of authority and should have recognized that his actions were not appropriate in the workplace.” With regards to the amoxicillin prescription, Dr. Malik explained that he provided it as a “professional courtesy” after the patient’s mother told him she was unable to bring in her child to their family doctor. Dr. Malik told the hearing tribunal he did not bill for the service. Read: Cardiologist faces four more accusers, additional sexual assault charges

Unwelcome: Doctor who forced sex talk on female colleagues gets six-month suspension

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