A Nigerian doctor named Ewere Onykpe, who was working in the United Kingdom, has faced accusations of engaging in sexual activity with a patient in a hospital restroom. As per a report from OBASANJONEWS24, Onyikpe allegedly initiated a sexual relationship with the woman while serving as a locum registrar at the Whittington Hospital in London.
The report further states that in 2023, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal of the General Medical Council (MPT of the GMC) imposed a six-month suspension on Onyikpe’s medical license following a guilty verdict from an investigative tribunal.
After the completion of the initial six-month suspension, the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) challenged the decision made by the MPT, arguing that it did not adequately consider the vulnerability of the patient involved in the case.
Subsequently, a tribunal hearing took place in February to review the case. The tribunal concluded that Onyekpe’s registration should be suspended for a total of 12 months due to misconduct, but this was later reduced to six months to account for the time already served.
The details of the case and the tribunal’s decisions, overseen by Tanveer Rakhim, are outlined in a 61-page document exclusively obtained by OBASNAJONEWS24 following the hearing that occurred from February 12th to 29th.
The incident in question involved a Nigerian-born medical doctor who examined a patient at the Whittington Hospital’s A&E Department and diagnosed her with sciatica, prescribing pain relief and conducting an intimate examination that was deemed appropriate.
Following the examination, the patient allegedly gave the doctor her phone number, leading to a series of WhatsApp exchanges that turned personal and sexual in nature, culminating in consensual sexual encounters both at the hospital and the patient’s home.
Despite the doctor’s arrest on suspicion of rape, he was released without charge, prompting the medical regulatory body to call for his erasure from medical records due to the seriousness of the allegations and his admission of guilt.
In regards to the aggravating factors of the case, Ms Emsley-Smith argued that Mr Onyekpe, in his capacity as a doctor, engaged in a sexual and inappropriate emotional relationship with a vulnerable patient. She emphasized that this behavior had caused damage to the reputation of the medical profession and proposed that the only way to rectify this would be to remove Mr Onyekpe’s name from the medical register.
However, Mr Onyekpe’s representative, James Counsell, presented a defense stating that Mr Onyekpe takes responsibility for his misconduct, acknowledging that he had crossed professional boundaries and let down himself, his family, and his colleagues. Mr Counsell highlighted that Mr Onyekpe is a family man with a supportive wife and referred to testimonials that attest to his integrity.
He also mentioned that the General Medical Council (GMC) accepted that the relationship was consensual and pointed out the rape allegation, Mr Onyekpe’s arrest in front of his wife, and the subsequent investigation by the GMC and the Trust, emphasizing Mr Onyekpe’s cooperation throughout the process. After considering the submissions, the tribunal concluded that Mr Onyekpe’s conduct over a period of seven weeks demonstrated a failure to prioritize the care of the vulnerable patient.
However, the tribunal deemed that the misconduct had been adequately addressed with the current suspension and did not find it necessary to impose an immediate order of suspension on Mr Onyekpe’s registration.
The tribunal stated that Mr Onyekpe’s registration would be suspended from the medical register 28 days after the written notification of the decision is deemed to have been served, unless he lodges an appeal.
- The tribunal highlighted that Mr. Onykpe’s registration will face suspension from the medical register within 28 days of the deemed service of the written notification of the decision, unless an appeal is lodged.
- In the event of an appeal being lodged by Mr. Onykpe, he will be allowed to continue practicing without restrictions until the outcome of the appeal is determined.
- Additionally, due to the same reasons, the tribunal decided to immediately revoke the interim order of conditions.
The demands for erasure from medical records were put forth by Rosalind Emsley-Smith, the representative of the medical regulatory body, during the tribunal. She argued that the most appropriate and proportionate sanction in this case would be erasure. Ms. Emsley-Smith pointed out that Mr. Onyekpe had admitted to the majority of the allegations brought against him in this tribunal as well as in a previous one.
