A Montreal family doctor will never be able to treat women again, the College of Physicians of Quebec has ruled, banning him again for four years for sticking a finger into the genitals of a 20-year-old patient suffering from skin rashes the consultation hour was the forehead.
• Also read: Abusive gynecological examination of a patient consulted for acne on the forehead: This family doctor is still guilty of sexual misconduct
• Also read: A doctor is still accused of sexual acts on patients
The young woman who Dr. Craig Smith consulted about a rash on his forehead “felt violated,” according to the Nov. 24 ruling by the College of Physicians’ disciplinary board.
Expelled again for a second sexual misconduct, this time for four years, the family doctor will never be able to treat women again, the College of Physicians of Quebec (CMQ) also tells him. This is a rare and serious sanction that enormously limits the scope of a general practitioner’s practice.
Dr. Craig Smith was disqualified for three years in May 2019 for taking photos of a patient’s genitals without her knowledge and attempting to photograph another with her cell phone while she was topless.
The doctor insisted
Although the law requires a minimum five-year ban for sexual misconduct, the disciplinary board decided he deserved a lenient sentence of three years. This time he once again benefited from the Council’s mercy with a four-year sanction.
The alleged acts occurred in 2018 at the Santé Mont-Royal Medical Center. The young woman agreed to a gynecological examination because Dr. Smith insisted, the verdict says. However, she saw no connection with her problem on her forehead.
The doctor inserted a finger into her vagina during an examination of her vulva. He then squatted behind her as she stood up and asked her to bend forward and then spread her buttocks to view his private parts.
Dr. Smith met with the CMQ trustee in 2021 and defended himself by saying that this technique is “a way to perform a visual anal examination to check for possible infection,” the ruling states.
Vulnerable patient
According to the disciplinary board, the doctor “put himself in a situation in which he exploited the vulnerability of a young patient,” it said.
Dr. A doctor since 2003, Smith was also found guilty of performing a substandard gynecological exam and failing to use a speculum.
The judgment states that the doctor was very “affected” by the patient’s allegations and that they were the result of a “wrong perception”.
According to the council, the doctor appeared to be unaware of “the full gravity of the acts he had committed”.
Dr. Smith was also fined $5,000. The amount will be paid to the patient to cover her therapy costs.
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