A doctor who sent a barrage of “derogatory, sexually explicit, sexist and/or racist” messages to colleagues will face an “urgent” intervention by the Home Secretary as his ban from medical practice approaches its expiry date.
Dr Dimitrios Psaroudakis, a gynaecologist and fertility specialist at an elite London clinic, was found to have sent years of the “troubling” inappropriate messages over his work email and messaging app at a tribunal in December.
The messages contained several references to Jewish people, which he said he spelt ‘yews’ because of his accent, and defamatory and vulgar comments about patients and women, the tribunal heard.
GB News has seen the vile comments from Dr Psaroudakis, who said “Hammersmith will be beautiful and yew free”, and joked “Also we need to stop making fun of the yews. I’m getting stigmata” after sending images of cuts on his hands.
Dr Dimitrios Psaroudakis was found to have made a string of disturbing comments over multiple years
Artemis Gynaecology/MPTS
He also made several references to obscure sexual practices, and suggested a patient’s husband who had died by suicide had done so after smelling her shoes, the tribunal heard.
The doctor was handed a three-month suspension from the medical register following the tribunal – but this is set to run out in a few weeks’ time.
The tribunal said evidence suggested “it was Dr Psaroudakis’ common practice to pick out and use what could be considered offensive or derogatory characteristics about people whom he did not like or get along with, and liberally use those terms to describe them.”
Despite his comments, the tribunal made “no finding” that he was “a racist”, but was “satisfied that he is someone who is quite comfortable with using discriminatory language”.
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The suspension came under fire from Sir Michael Ellis and Home Secretary Victoria Atkins for being too short
PA
But former Conservative Attorney-General Sir Michael Ellis told Parliament he feared “this doctor may be a danger to Jewish patients”, calling for the tribunal’s “grossly unreasonable” decision to be reviewed before Dr Psaroudakis’ suspension came to an end.
Sir Ellis said: “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.
Speaking to Health Secretary Victoria Atkins, he asked: “Will she instruct government lawyers to begin judicial review proceedings against this tribunal?”
In response, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said she would be “looking into this with great urgency and great care” in the wake of Rishi Sunak’s recent public condemnation of extremism.
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.
“I can assure you I will be looking into this with great urgency and great care.”
Atkins has contacted authorities including NHS England and the General Medical Council to remind them “hate speech and support for extremism or terrorism are not compatible with the responsibilities and duties of healthcare professionals”.
A review of the tribunal’s decision could see Dr Psaroudakis suspended for even longer – or removed from the register completely, which would see him barred from practising for the NHS again.