Sharif Fattah: Camden doctor could practice medicine again after sexually assaulting 10 patients

A regional NSW doctor jailed for sexually assaulting 10 female patients could return to medicine on his release from prison.

A Camden doctor could return to medicine after completing his jail sentence for sexually assaulting ten female patients.

Dr Sharif Fattah, 64, appeared via audiovisual link in front of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on September 16 to learn his professional fate after he was convicted of 18 counts of sexually assaulting female patients.

In 2019, a District Court jury found Fattah guilty of 13 counts of sexual intercourse without consent and five counts of assault with act of indecency during medical consultations with female patients.

Sharif Fattah was convicted for sexually assaulting his patients at a Camden NSW medical centre.

Between September 2016 and March 2017, the former employee of the Camden Health Care Centre assaulted 10 women who presented with a range of symptoms including rashes, coughs, bites, back pain, pelvic pain and vitamin deficiencies.

The Judge determined the sexual assaults were “a serious breach” of Fattah’s role of authority and said he had hurt the patients he was meant to protect.

“Exploitation of the doctor/patient relationship thoroughly undermines the trust that patients have in their doctors and the community has in the profession,” the Judge said.

“It is evident here that the offender’s actions did cause significant psychological harm … and for some of those victims the harm was profound.”

Fattah was convicted and sentenced to 16 years and six months imprisonment with a non-parole period of 11 years.

The Tribunal determined Fattah “grossly breached the standards expected of a medical practitioner” with his unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct.

“The conduct was a gross breach of the trust bestowed upon the practitioner by virtue of his professional status as a medical practitioner,” the ruling stated.

“His improper conduct leads to the conclusion that he is not a fit and proper person to hold registration as a medical practitioner.”

Sharif Fattah has been banned from practising medicine for at least the next 12 years.

The Tribunal ruled to strip Fattah of his medical registration and bar him from practising medicine or providing a health service for 12 years.

Submissions from the Health Care Complaints Commission for the tribunal to block Fattah’s medical registration for 20 years were deemed “excessive”. The tribunal noted the move would effectively instate a permanent ban, as Fattah would be 80 years old before he could reapply for reinstatement as a doctor.

As it stands, the doctor will be able to apply for medical registration before the completion of his full term of imprisonment midway through 2033. However, Fattah told the tribunal he was not looking to “practice medicine again at any time” despite maintaining his innocence.

The disgraced doctor said he would appeal his criminal convictions when he could access legal support. If successful, Fattah will be able to apply to vary his cancelled practitioner status.