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27 Sep 2022
A Western Australian doctor has been suspended and will need to undergo education for failing to maintain appropriate professional and sexual boundaries with a patient.
Over several days in June 2020, Dr Sameir Kamal Sayyed Farah failed to maintain the boundaries expected of a registered health practitioner. After consulting with a female patient at the practice where he worked, and then later assessing her at an emergency department, he continued to communicate with and see the patient on multiple occasions. This included having dinner together and engaging in sexual activity involving hugging and kissing. On another occasion, the patient met the doctor at the Practice and the doctor engaged in sexual activity involving massaging the patient’s back, thighs and buttocks.
On 22 July 2020, the Board took immediate action to impose restrictions preventing him from attending on any female patient while the matter was investigated.
The Board commenced proceedings against Dr Farah in the State Administrative Tribunal in Western Australia (the tribunal) on 25 November 2021.
On 29 April 2022, the tribunal ordered that Dr Farah engaged in professional misconduct and, as a result:
ordered him to pay a contribution to the Board’s costs fixed in the sum of $7,000. In considering its decision, the tribunal noted the impact the July 2020 gender-based restrictions had on Dr Farah’s ability to work as an international medical graduate without specialist registration.
The full decision is published on the tribunal’s website.