A well-known Dublin GP has appeared before a medical inquiry over allegations that he conducted an unauthorised medical assessment of a psychiatric patient while representing himself as acting for the Qatari Embassy.
Dr Bassam Nasr, who operates a family practice in Sutton, is accused of professional misconduct for falsely claiming in a phone call to a social worker on April 30th, 2018 that he was attached to the Qatari Embassy and seeking details of the medical condition of a patient at an HSE-run mental healthcare facility when he was not the individual’s GP and had no authority to access such information.
The patient, a Qatari national, had been involuntarily detained at the Drogheda Department of Psychiatry in Drogheda, Co Louth the previous day after suffering a psychotic episode from suspected drug use.
Dr Nasr faces another charge of professional misconduct in relation to claims that he attended the facility on May 20th, 2018 and carried out an unauthorised or inappropriate medical assessment of the patient and sought access to his medical records.
The Irish Medical Council also alleges that Dr Nasr told a clinical nurse manager on the same occasion that he had been appointed by the Qatari Embassy to carry out the assessment when he knew such a claim was untrue and acted in a rude, aggressive and unprofessional manner with staff at the facility.
A sitting of the IMC’s fitness-to-practise committee on Monday heard that Dr Nasr denies all the allegations.
Counsel for Dr Nasr, Eileen Barrington SC, told the inquiry that he was contacted by a Qatari national in April 2018 about his son who had been detained under the Mental Health Act.
Ms Barrington said her client had never met the man or his son before and neither of them were his patients.
She said the man claimed he had been referred by the Qatari embassy to Dr Nasr as the father had not received any information about his son’s diagnosis from the doctors treating him.
Ms Barrington said Dr Nasr agreed to act as an advocate for the man and to assist with communication as he did not have good English and was concerned his son was not getting proper treatment.
She said the GP offered to help “out of goodness” and felt that he was “professional and courteous” at all times to medical staff.
However, Ms Barrington said Dr Nasr acknowledged being frustrated at being unable to ascertain any helpful information for the patient’s father and apologised if his behaviour was considered aggressive.
Counsel said it was possible that Dr Nasr had told staff that the patient’s father had been referred to him by the Qatari Embassy.
Counsel for the IMC, Ronan Kennedy SC, said the inquiry arose from a formal complaint made against Dr Nasr by consultant psychiatrist, Jo Rowley, in June 2018.
He told the inquiry that Dr Rowley had described Dr Nasr’s version of events as “a very sanitised explanation of actual reality.”
Mr Kennedy said Dr Rowley believed that the GP realised with hindsight that he had “completely overstepped the mark” and felt by constantly quoting the Qatari Embassy that staff were going to bow to his pressure and divulge confidential information.
In evidence, Dr Rowley told the hearing that claims that she had refused to meet the patient’s father were “factually incorrect.”
The psychiatrist pointed out that staff had called to the patient’s home where his relatives were staying to discuss his condition but nobody answered the door despite being seen in the property.
Interpreter
Dr Rowley said a junior doctor who spoke Arabic was available to talk to the patient and his family while they had arranged to hold a family meeting which included an interpreter but none of the relatives had shown up.
Under cross-examination by Ms Barrington, she said the patient had not wanted to see Dr Nasr again as he had felt “very uncomfortable” with the GP’s visit.
A clinical nurse manager, Colum Butler, told the inquiry that he was taken back when Dr Nasr asked him on May 20, 2018 for the patient’s files and explained he had been appointed as a medical representative by the Qatari Embassy.
Mr Butler, who had understood Dr Nasr was just “a family friend,” said the GP became quite hostile and irritable when informed confidential medical records could not be released and when asked for ID which he could not provide.
“He said he was the boss and what he says goes,” Mr Butler recalled.
The witness said he asked Dr Nasr to reassess his attitude after he became demanding and inpatient and pointed his finger at him.
Mr Butler said the GP and the patient’s father were speaking to each other in Arabic and sniggering and laughing.
He said he escorted both men towards the exit and directed security officials not to allow Dr Nasr back to the unit.
Mr Butler said he had done this because he had become suspicious about not getting clarity about the purpose of Dr Nasr’s visit.
Last year, Dr Nasr was found guilty of professional misconduct over his failure to notify the IMC of a criminal conviction in relation to tax offences.
The GP, who is known as “Doctor Sam” to his patients, was subsequently censured and fined €5,000 by the regulatory body.
The Palestinian-born married father of seven from Howth Road, Sutton, was sentenced to 16 months in jail in June 2018 for filing incorrect tax returns for 2006 and 2007 which resulted in an underpayment of €100,000 in income tax.
