An NHS Scotland doctor who slapped a patient attending A&E in Ayr during the Covid pandemic has been cleared of misconduct allegations by a tribunal, despite objections by a medical watchdog. Dr Ziyad Al-Janabi admitted that he said "that felt good" after the incident.
He was in front of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) in Manchester on Wednesday, December 7, where it was heard that he slapped the patient on his cheek and shook their head and shoulders. The General Medical Council argued that Dr Al-Janabi’s actions had fallen short of professional standards and public confidence in the profession would be "undermined" if his fitness to practice was not found impaired.
Despite the GMC's reservations, the tribunal said the 45-year-old's actions were "not aggressive and did not cause the patient harm" and were only done for the "purpose of getting Patient A's attention and calming him". The MPTS determined that Dr Al-Janabi’s fitness to practice was not impaired and a warning was also not appropriate.
