An East London GP who rubbed a woman’s breasts with his stethoscope in a dark consultation room has been suspended. Dr Manish Tripathi cannot practise medicine for 10 months, pending a review, after the General Medical Council (GMC) concluded he touched both the woman’s breasts during what was meant to be a thyroid examination at the Barkantine Practice in Tower Hamlets.
The woman made a written complaint in September 2023, alleging Dr Tripathi displayed ‘aggressive body-language’ and that the lights were turned off; that he locked the door and failed to ask for consent; and when checking her stomach ‘almost touched’ her pubic bone. The Met Police also investigated the allegations, but the case was closed in March 2024.
At a tribunal, the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the court: “‘Dr Manish Tripathi did not look satisfied and wanted to lift my top from the bottom and I had to stop him as I did not like him undressing me. So, I lifted my top up and he started to listen my chest on my left side and then he slowly started to move down to my breast and nipples.
“And then he moved to my right side of breast and he pulled my bra and expose my right breast and nipples. Even child knows that heart is on the left and not on the right. I felt very insecure and exposed. All of this was done without my consent or giving full explanation why he was touching my private areas.”
In his defence statement, Dr Trepathi wrote: “This examination was a routine chest examination that I did on the top of clothes – auscultation with a stethoscope – listening to the heart areas on the left side – left lung field and then auscultation of the right anterior lung field. This involved no exposure of breasts or nipples at any point, nor did it involve any percussion or palpation by hands.”
The tribunal also heard from Dr B, an expert witness, and submissions from Renald Davidson, Dr Trepathi’s representative, who accused the woman of delaying her complaint and inconsistency in her account. Mr Davidson also argued Dr Trepathi’s behaviour was ‘improbable’. The tribunal was not persuaded though, and the court preferred the woman’s evidence.
The tribunal concluded the conduct was unwanted and, due to his unequivocal denials, must have been of a sexual nature. This created an ‘intimidating, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment’ which ‘had the effect of violating the dignity of Patient A’.
Describing the harm caused, Dr B wrote: “If Patient A’s account is accepted then on 24.08.23 Dr Tripathi placed his stethoscope over Patient A’s left breast and nipple and made gentle circular motions. My opinion is that these actions did not have any clinical purpose. My opinion is that they placed Patient A at risk of embarrassment and distress and reluctance to undergo similar examination in the future.”
After finding him guilty of misconduct, the tribunal concluded Dr Trepathi is currently unfit to practise, because further offending is not ‘highly unlikely’. Dr Trepathi was suspended 10 months, but will face a review hearing to determine whether his lack of insight is persistent. If he continues to show no insight, this could lead to erasure.
“The Tribunal was of the view that, an interim order was necessary on the grounds of public protection and public interest. The Tribunal considered that having determined that suspension is the only sanction appropriate to address the seriousness of Dr Tripathi’s misconduct, it follows that it would be inappropriate to allow him to practise during any appeal period,” it wrote.
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