Doctor who said London would be better ‘jew free’ to be investigated by Health Secretary
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The Health Secretary is set to “urgently” intervene in the case of a doctor who claimed London would be better if it was “jew free”.
Dr Dimitrios Psaroudakis was suspended from the medical register for three months after a litany of anti-Semitic, racist and sexist messages, but his ban from practising ends in a matter of weeks.
Sir Michael Ellis, the former Conservative attorney general, said he feared “this doctor may be a danger to Jewish patients” and called for a review of the tribunal’s “grossly unreasonable” decision before his suspension is up.
Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, is now weighing up what action to take, following the revelations made by The Telegraph that a tribunal had concluded that Dr Psaroudakis was “not a racist but someone quite comfortable with using discriminatory language”.
The consultant gynaecologist resigned from a fertility clinic on Harley Street after being caught sending messages and emails that were “derogatory towards patients and colleagues; sexually explicit; sexist; and/or racist”.
These included repeated references to Jewish colleagues as “yews”, “big nose”, “leprechaun”, “alky” and “s–t for brains”. He also suggested Hammersmith, London, would be improved if it were “yew free”, and regularly referred to the clinic as “the temple”.
In response to The Telegraph’s report, Sir Michael told the House of Commons: “He was merely suspended for three months and is due to start seeing patients again in a few weeks.
“I am concerned this doctor may be a danger to Jewish patients and I’m also concerned that this tribunal is defective and their decision is grossly unreasonable,” he said.
Speaking to Ms Atkins, he said: “Will she instruct government lawyers to begin judicial review proceedings against this tribunal?”
Ms Atkins said: “As the Prime Minister set out on the steps of Downing Street last week, there are people whose ideology and dogma are in direct conflict with our shared values as a country.
“Just as we will not stand for that across the country nor will I stand for that in our NHS,” she said.
“I can assure [Sir Michael] I will be looking into this with great urgency and great care.”
Ms Atkins has already written to NHS England, the General Medical Council (GMC), the doctors’ regulator, and other authorities to remind them that “hate speech and support for extremism or terrorism are not compatible with the responsibilities and duties of healthcare professionals”.
As well as seeking a review of the decision which could result in a longer suspension or being struck off the register altogether, as some MPs have called for, Dr Psaroudakis could be banned from undertaking any NHS work again.
The NHS intervened in the case of Dr Wahid Shaida, who ran the Islamist extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir until its ban in January and banned him from its list of approved doctors amid inaction by the GMC, which is still investigating. He can still practise privately.
It comes as Robin Simcox, the government’s counter-extremism commissioner, said that London had become a “no-go zone for Jews” during weekend pro-Palestinian marches and urged ministers to “be willing to accept higher legal risk” when tackling extremism.
In the case of Dr Psaroudakis, the GMC said it sought a suspension and an independent tribunal deemed that three months “reflected the level of seriousness of the misconduct”.
The tribunal also said: “Dr Psaroudakis admitted his wrongdoing, made full admissions to the allegation, and has taken steps to remediate his actions. He has made genuine expressions of regret, remorse and apology, and not sought to blame others.”
