A west London cardiologist who groped a woman’s breasts in a hospital store cupboard and then told her “please don’t tell anyone” has been struck off.
Senthil Panneerselvam, a former specialist registrar at the leading Harefield NHS Hospital in Uxbridge, was barred from the profession after a misconduct tribunal heard how he made a patient lie down on the cupboard floor and groped her breasts in what she thought was a medical exam.
The July 2 2021 incident came to light after she reported it to other doctors.
Panneerselvam denied any wrongdoing, but the medical practitioners tribunal service, which oversees misconduct cases in the industry, ruled against him, finding he had carried out the exam for sexual gratification.
It heard how he had told the patient to lie on the cupboard floor under the pretence of privacy, before asking her to unbutton her blouse, and then lifted up her bra and began “stroking” her breasts.
She told the tribunal: “I could feel Dr Panneerselvam closer behind me and his breathing increasing rapidly, and I really felt uncomfortable with the way he was touching me.
“I froze for a moment trying to understand what was happening.
“I got the courage and I said ‘I feel really uncomfortable now’ whilst moving away from him pulling my blouse back on and starting to button my blouse.”
Afterwards, he told her: “Please don’t tell anyone I examined you without an assistant as I could lose my career”, or words to that effect, the tribunal found.
He also showed her pictures on his phone of women’s breasts with hands on them appearing to be from an examination in a bid to justify his actions.
Panneerselvam, who did not attend the tribunal, told the hearing in a statement that he was performing a “unofficial examination” and “thought he was being helpful.”
The tribunal ruled: “The Tribunal took the view that Ms A’s relationship with Dr Panneerselvam was based on trust which he had exploited to blatantly pursue his own sexual gratification under the guise of a clinical examination.
“His conduct fell seriously below the standard expected of a doctor.”
It ordered he be struck off from the register, with a suspension order to cover an appeals period, meaning he would not be able to practise again while the bar is in place.
Harefield Hospital is a leading heart and lung hospital, and was the site of the UK's first heart and lung transplant.
