A female patient has exposed a male doctor’s disgusting act 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 had been working at the Kanwal Wadalba Family 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 okay after noticing he appeared ‘unwell’ and irritated by his surgical face mask.
In her version of events, Dr Toma told her: ‘No. I need professional help 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 was pushed up over her eyes so she couldn’t see. She pulled out of the hug and fixed her mask.
Dr Toma then hugged her again and pulled her mask down underneath her chin.
‘He immediately moved in 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 near my ear. I froze and did not say anything,’ the woman said in her statement.
‘I gave Dr Toma a pat on the back and we said words to the effect of: “I hope you feel better soon”. Dr Toma said: “Thank you, nice to see you again Susan”.
‘I have no idea why he called me Susan. We had been through my mental health plan that included my own name. I then left the practice.’
The woman – referred to as Patient A by the tribunal – contacted the practice later that day to report what had happened and told them that ‘someone needed to check in with Dr Toma because he was not okay’.
She reported the incident to police 10 days later on November 28 who forwarded the complaint to the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC).
In early December, the woman rang the practice again and was told by the manager that someone would be looking into the incident.
In the months that followed, the woman said she began to experience deep self-hatred for herself and struggled with physical contact.
Dr Toma, an Egyptian-born GP, had been working full-time at the Kanwal Wadalba Family Practice on the NSW Central Coast when he treated the woman (the 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 driving into the guard rail.
Her relationship with her daughter became strained because she struggled with physical contact and became depressed.
The woman said she was too terrified to go to the doctor and that she had a break down while at the dentist because they were ‘right up in my face’.
After being contacted by HCCC in May 2022, Dr Toma said he did not initiate the hugging or kissing with the woman.
‘[She’s] acted spontaneously and as an instinctive reaction I accepted the hug and kiss. I am sorry if that was misinterpreted and I should not have done so. It was a natural reaction to be supportive,’ he said in his response.
‘There was no sexual or romantic intention.’
Under cross-examination at a hearing in February, the woman denied the hug in question was brief and initiated by her, and insisted 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 during a time of high risk of Covid infection when doctors were advised to minimise 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 adequate record-keeping during the appointment – and professional misconduct.
The tribunal is set to determine protective orders following another hearing.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Dr Toma for comment.