A female patient has exposed the disgusting act of a male doctor during a visit for treatment at a medical practice on the NSW Central Coast.
Dr. Hazem Toma, also known as Hazem Keryakous, was found guilty of professional misconduct and unsatisfactory professional conduct by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on June 13.
The Egyptian-born GP was working at Kanwal Wadalba General Practice when he met the 35-year-old woman for a routine appointment for a new mental health plan on November 8, 2021.
At the end of the appointment, she asked if Dr Toma was feeling well after commenting that he looked ‘unwell’ and irritated by his surgical face mask.
In her version of events, Dr. Toma told her, “No. I need professional help just like you,” before walking over to her and pulling her into a hug.
Dr. Hazem Toma (pictured) was found guilty of professional misconduct and unsatisfactory professional conduct by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on June 13.
The woman said her face mask had been pushed over her eyes so she could not see. She pulled away from the hug and fixed her mask.
Dr. Toma then hugged her again and pulled her mask down from under her chin.
‘He immediately came over to kiss me. I moved my face to the right and he kissed me twice on my left cheek – once close to my mouth and once close to my ear. I froze and said nothing,” the woman said in her statement.
‘I patted Dr. Toma on the back and we said words like, “I hope you feel better soon.” Doctor Toma said, “Thanks, nice to see you again Susan.”
‘I have no idea why he called me Susan. We had gone through my mental health plan, which included my own name. I then left the practice.’
The woman – referred to by the tribunal as Patient A – contacted the practice later that day to report what had happened, telling them that ‘someone needed to contact Dr Toma as he was not doing well’.
She reported the incident to the police ten days later, on November 28, who forwarded the complaint to the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC).
In early December, the woman called the practice again and was told by the manager that someone would investigate the incident.
In the months that followed, the woman said she began to experience a deep self-loathing of herself and struggled with physical contact.
Dr. Toma, an Egyptian-born GP, was working full-time at the Kanwal Wadalba GP practice on the NSW Central Coast when he treated the woman (clinic is pictured)
A few days after the appointment, the woman said she had a “mental blank” while driving and had a near collision with another car after hitting the guardrail.
Her relationship with her daughter became strained as she struggled with physical contact and became depressed.
The woman said she was too scared to go to the doctor and had a breakdown at the dentist because they were “right in my face.”
After being contacted by HCCC in May 2022, Dr. Toma said he did not initiate hugging or kissing the woman.
‘[She’s] acted spontaneously and as an instinctive reaction I accepted the hug and kiss. I’m sorry if this was misinterpreted, but I shouldn’t have done that. It was a natural reaction to be supportive,” he said in his response.
“There was no sexual or romantic intent.”
Under cross-examination at a hearing in February, the woman denied that the hug in question was brief and initiated by her, insisting that Dr. Toma kissed her twice and removed his mask to do so.
The panel noted that both versions of events suggested a physical boundary was crossed at a time of high risk of Covid infection, when doctors were advised to minimize contact with patients as much as possible.
On June 13, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal found Dr. Toma guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct – for failing to keep sufficient records during the appointment – and professional misconduct.
The tribunal will determine protective measures after a new hearing.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Dr. Toma for comments.