A DOCTOR accused of kissing a patient and stroking her breasts has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Dr Syed Ahmed, who was a GP at the Health Centre in Rhos, was alleged to have kissed a patient on the lips and lifted her bra to expose her breasts during a consultation in February, 2010.
He was also alleged to have stroked her breasts and rested his hands on her knees.
But a fitness to practise hearing at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) has found the allegations brought by the General Medical Council (GMC) on behalf of Patient A not proved.
Patient A claimed she visited Dr Ahmed to complain of chest pain. Catherine Cundy, on behalf of the GMC and Patient A, said an examination may have started out as clinically appropriate, but went beyond the proper boundaries that exist between a doctor and patient.
But Dr Ahmed claimed no physical examination of any kind took place.
Witness Professor Malcolm Lader said a prescribed cocktail of psychotropic drugs being taken by Patient A at the time was likely to have affected her mental state.
He said her consumption of the zopiclone drug, which is typically used to treat insomnia, could have given rise to hallucinations.
In her evidence Patient A said she was “in a world of her own” and “couldn’t understand what was going on”.
Dr Ahmed claimed he had previously asked Patient A to leave the practice because she would constantly lie about what had happened to her medication.
Patient A admitted lying to Dr Ahmed in order to get more prescription tablets, but said she did not lie about the alleged incident because she had nothing to gain.
Stephen Brassington, representing Dr Ahmed, said Patient A was a skilled liar and there were inconsistencies in her evidence.
Rosemarie Williams gave evidence of the good character of Dr Ahmed, a graduate of Rajshahi Medical College in Bangladesh, and three testimonial letters from colleagues were also read out.
A letter from the MPTS to Dr Ahmed reads: “Good character is not a defence to the allegation but it is relevant.
“First it is a positive feature of you, which we should take into account when considering whether to accept what you told us in evidence.
“Secondly, the fact you have not previously acted in the way alleged may make it less likely that you acted as now alleged.”
The panel at the hearing in Manchester determined that Dr Ahmed is still fit to practise.
l It was stated at the tribunal that at the time of the alleged assault Dr Ahmed was working at ‘Beech Avenue Practice’ when, in fact, he was in practice independently at the Health Centre in Rhos.
Dr Ahmed continued to practise there until he left and care of the patients was taken over in September, 2011 by the other practice at the Health Centre, run by doctors Peter Saul, Botham and Kendall.