Wolli Creek Family Practice GP Ramez Daniel’s registration cancelled

A GP who started the Wolli Creek Family Practice has been found to have engaged in professional misconduct by sexually touching a female patient.

Dr Ramez Daniel’s registration has been cancelled after he was found guilty of professional misconduct while he was worked at Wolli Creek Family Practice.

A southern Sydney GP who touched a female patient’s breasts and inserted his fingers into her vagina has been banned from practicing medicine for 18 months.

Dr Ramez Daniel was pursued by the Health Care Complaints Commission before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal after it received a complaint from the patient.

Daniel, who opened the Wolli Creek Family Practice with his wife in 2006, was found to have engaged in professional misconduct after he behaved in a sexual nature towards the woman between 2015 and 2017.

The Tribunal heard Daniel had engaged in inappropriate sexual behaviour; undertook intimate examinations on the patient without clinical reason or appropriate explanation, and failed to maintain adequate records for the patient.

Daniel denied the sexual allegations but admitted to not maintaining the records.

In September this year, the Tribunal found the allegations proven.

A published judgment said Daniel did not provide evidence about the cancellation of his registration, therefore the Tribunal was unable to find Daniel had reformed through for example completing training, education or therapy and did not demonstrate integrity, trustworthiness or ethical values.

The Tribunal noted Daniel had no prior disciplinary history and the lengthy cancellation period “should deter him from reoffending” if he ever regains his registration.

The court heard Daniel studied in Egypt before registering as a medical practitioner in Australia in 1999.

Dr Ramez Daniel will not be able to practice medicine for 18 months.

The victim first attended the practice in June 2015 and her last appointment was on September 6, 2017, before Daniel was suspended in 2018.

The patient claimed Daniel touched her breasts on multiple occasions without explanation and on one occasion asked her to sit on his lap; all claims Daniel denied.

The Tribunal determined Daniel stood behind the woman and pressed his body against her back, wrapped both arms around her stomach and touched the side of her body with his hands.

The Tribunal found Daniel touched the sides of her breasts over her bra and asked her to sit on his lap, which was not medically justified.

The Tribunal noted the woman’s evidence was “candid and unembellished” whereas Daniel’s evidence sought to “minimise the extent of physical contact”.

The offence was proved and the conduct had no clinical reason or appropriate explanation when treating the woman’s right hip and back, which amounted to “inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature”.

The woman told the Tribunal she continued to see Daniel because he would give her medical certificates and medication “without question”.

The woman made a further complaint alleging Daniel inserted his gloved fingers into her vagina on two occasions during a consultation for bladder leakage issues on September 6, 2017.

Daniel also denied this claim, with the Tribunal hearing the woman reported the allegations to a sexual assault service.

The Tribunal found the allegations proven.

Daniel admitted to failing to maintain appropriate medical records for the patient during that time, including not managing or arranging follow up treatments for the woman, did not include adequate documentation and did not include information about her medical history, results of physical examination, her mental states or results of tests.