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Doodnaught, George

CPSO#: 32129

MEMBER STATUS
Revoked: Discipline Committee as of 22 May 2018
CURRENT OR PAST CPSO REGISTRATION CLASS
None as of 01 Mar 2011

Summary

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Former Name: No Former Name

Gender: Male

Languages Spoken: English

Education: University of Glasgow School of Medicine, 1974

Practice Information

Primary Location of Practice
Practice Address Not Available

Specialties

Specialty Issued On Type
Anesthesiology Effective:17 Nov 1981 RCPSC Specialist

Registration History

Action Issue Date
First certificate of registration issued: Postgraduate Education Certificate Effective: 10 Sep 1979
Transfer of class of registration to: Independent Practice Certificate Effective: 23 Dec 1980
Transfer of class of certificate to: Restricted certificate Effective: 01 Mar 2011
Terms and conditions imposed on certificate Effective: 01 Mar 2011
Terms and conditions amended by member Effective: 03 Aug 2012
Suspension of registration imposed: Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee Effective: 13 Dec 2013
Revoked: Discipline Committee. Effective: 22 May 2018

Previous Hearings

Committee: Discipline
Decision Date: 22 May 2018
Summary:

On May 22, 2018, the Discipline Committee found that Dr. George Doodnaught committed an act of professional misconduct, in that he has been found guilty of an offence that is relevant to his suitability to practise, in that he engaged in sexual impropriety with a patient, in that he sexually abused patients, and in that he has engaged in conduct or an act or omission relevant to the practice of medicine that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional.

Dr. Doodnaught was an anaesthesiologist who practised primarily at North York General Hospital (the Hospital) in Toronto.

Criminal conviction of 21 counts of sexual assault of patients

On November 19, 2013, Dr. Doodnaught was convicted of 21counts of sexual assault with respect to a number of patients. The trial judge found that all of the assaults took place while the patient was in surgery under conscious sedation that was administered by Dr. Doodnaught. The trial judge’s specific findings for these patients include the following:

- Patient B
During Patient B’s surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught kissed her on the lips, and fondled her breasts multiple times. She recalls being asked if she was all right, but was too scared to say anything but “yes.” In the recovery room, she told her family member what happened, and within weeks, formally reported the abuse to the Hospital, asking that her complaint be filed in Dr. Doodnaught’s record.

- Patient C
 During Patient C’s surgery at the Hospital, she awoke to find Dr. Doodnaught’s penis in her mouth. The surgeon heard Patient C say more than once, “take that out of my mouth.” In the recovery room, Patient C disclosed the abuse to her family member, who told her it was impossible. She did not report it until she heard media reports in 2010 because she could not believe a doctor would do such a thing.

- Patient D
During Patient D’s surgery at the Hospital, she woke up to find Dr. Doodnaught placing his penis in her hand and using her hand to masturbate himself. While in the hospital and again on the way home, Patient D told her boyfriend about the abuse. He told her it couldn’t have happened.

- Patient G
 During Patient G’s surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught kissed her, repeatedly inserting his tongue into her mouth. She told her family members about the abuse when they came to visit. They said it must have been the drugs.

- Patient H
During Patient H’s surgery at the Hospital, she awoke several times to find that Dr. Doodnaught had placed his genitals in her hand and was manipulating her hand to massage his genitals. At the end of the surgery, Dr. Doodnaught told Patient H that she had been fondling his genitals throughout the surgery. She apologised and said she didn’t understand why that was happening. After the surgery, Dr. Doodnaught said to Patient H, “don’t go fondling any more doctors.” Although she disclosed the abuse to a friend, she was too afraid to complain while in hospital, and too embarrassed and ashamed when she got home.

- Patient J
During Patient J’s surgery at the Hospital, she awoke several times to find Dr. Doodnaught kissing her, inserting his tongue into her mouth, fondling her breast(s), and placing his penis in her mouth. Throughout the assault, Dr. Doodnaught made sexual comments to Patient J, including: “you reached for me as soon as you went under.” He also told her that he didn’t think that she would like sex that much, asked her if she would “suck him off,” asked her when her husband was not at home, and told her he’d come over and “give her a good fuck.” After the procedure, Dr. Doodnaught told the scrub nurse that Patient J “grabbed my balls.” The day after the surgery, Patient J disclosed the abuse to a social worker.

- Patient M
During Patient M’s surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught kissed her on both cheeks, grabbed and squeezed her breasts, and placed his penis in her hand. She asked him, more than once, “do I have to do this?” as she did not want to hold his penis. He responded that she did and that it was part of her healing and part of her surgery. After the surgery, Patient M kept asking Dr. Doodnaught what happened. Dr. Doodnaught whispered to Patient M, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” which had clear sexual connotations. Patient M thought that maybe she was the one who behaved badly in the operating room. She felt embarrassed and ashamed. When her boyfriend came in, she disclosed that something sexual happened, without giving him details.

- Patient N
During Patient N’s surgery at the Hospital, she became conscious. Dr. Doodnaught said “I want you to put this in your mouth,” and he placed his penis in her mouth. Several weeks after the surgery, Dr. Doodnaught called her at home, and told her she had invited him to see her garden. She was terrified. She came forward after her relative told her that the doctor had been arrested.

- Patient O
During Patient O’s surgery at another off-site Clinic, she felt Dr. Doodnaught touch, rub and squeeze her breasts. She was aware, angry, and wanted him to stop. She tried to verbally and physically protest but was unable. She told her friend about the assault within days of the surgery.

- Patient Q
During Patient Q’s surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught said to her, “You are a sexy lady. Do you do blow jobs?” She felt him squeeze both of her breasts hard, which pained her. She tried to cry out and move away. He also attempted to insert his penis into her mouth. Again, she tried to protest but was unable. She did not disclose the abuse until after hearing media reports because she thought no one would believe her.

- Patient R
During Patient R’s surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught placed his penis in her hand. She felt stress and panic. When she tried to move her hand away, he repeatedly told her, “No no, no no, don’t do that, you’re doing a great job.” She then heard, “that was great.” After the surgery, Dr. Doodnaught made a comment to Patient R that he wanted to tell her boyfriend that “he was a lucky guy.” Patient R was distressed after the surgery and disclosed the events to her family member, her boyfriend, and her friend. She did not report it to the authorities until after there was a press release because she concluded that if her friends and family didn’t believe her, no one would.

- Patient S
During Patient S’s surgery at the Hospital, she woke up. Dr. Doodnaught was chatting with her, then came up behind her, grabbed and squeezed her breasts and pressed his body against the back of her head. She was shocked and did not know what to do. After the surgery, Dr. Doodnaught visited her in her room and told her that they had had a great personal conversation during the surgery and that she had told him a lot of personal things about herself and that everything she had told him would be kept in confidence. Shortly after Dr. Doodnaught left, Patient S told a friend who came to visit that she thought Dr. Doodnaught had molested her during the surgery. She later told her family member and the police, after seeing it on the news.

- Patient T
Patient T woke up during a procedure at the Hospital to Dr. Doodnaught saying to her, “wake up sweetie, the surgery is over” and kissing her on her lips and cheeks. He also ran his hand over her breasts. She reported the abuse to her family in the recovery room. Her relative said she must have been hallucinating, which caused Patient T to try to put it out of her mind until she saw it on the news and came forward.

- Patient U
During Patient U’s surgery at the Hospital, while she was in and out of consciousness, Dr.Doodnaught repeatedly kissed her on her mouth and moved his penis in and out of her mouth. Patient U told a friend, who told her she was hallucinating. Patient U later reported to police after that same friend advised her of the news reports, and apologised for not believing her.

- Patient V
While Patient V was on the gurney for her surgery at the Hospital, she recalls Dr. Doodnaught saying “hold this.” She complied, and immediately realized that she was holding Dr. Doodnaught’s penis. She told a friend who visited her a few days after the surgery, but did not tell her family member because she could not believe this could happen to “an old lady” like her “in a safe environment.”

- Patient W
During Patient W’s surgery at the Hospital, she felt Dr. Doodnaught touching her breasts, and kissed her in a sexual manner. She was upset and wanted to scream for help. Dr. Doodnaught then whispered: “you asked for a kiss.” This made her feel worse. Within days of the surgery and while still in hospital, Patient W disclosed what occurred to her family member and the surgeon. The latter told her she was dreaming. After Dr. Doodnaught’s arrest was announced in the media, she contacted the police.

- Patient X
During her surgery at the Hospital, Patient X woke up while Dr. Doodnaught was rubbing her breast and kissing her on the lips. The next day, she told a friend that she had a “crazy dream” that the anaesthetist kissed her. She didn’t think it was possible for it to have happened. She came forward after hearing that Dr. Doodnaught had been arrested.

- Patient Z
During Patient Z’s surgery at the Hospital, she woke up. She heard Dr. Doodnaught tell her that he liked her shaved pubic area, and said “do you want to see mine?” He then undid his scrubs, touched her breasts with both hands, and inserted his penis in her mouth. While still in hospital, Patient Z disclosed the abuse to her hospital roommate and to friends. She also confronted Dr. Doodnaught. He told her that “it never happened” and that she had placed his thumb in her mouth. After she saw the news report about Dr. Doodnaught on TV, she immediately contacted the police.

- Patient AA
When Patient AA woke up near the end of the surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught was leaning over her, kissing her and massaging her breast. She did not disclose the assault until she saw media reports because she was embarrassed and tried to block it out.

- Patient CC
During Patient CC’s surgery at the Hospital, Patient CC woke up. Dr. Doodnaught’s penis was in her mouth. She wanted to scream but couldn’t do anything. She was scared. This happened 3 or 4 times. Patient CC also felt Dr. Doodnaught’s hand on her breast. At one point he kissed her on the lips. During the assaults, Dr. Doodnaught repeatedly told Patient CC “don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you.” Shortly after the surgery, she disclosed the assault to her friend, who wanted to tell someone, but Patient CC was frightened and worried people would tell her she was crazy. She came forward after she saw Dr. Doodnaught’s picture on TV.

- Patient DD
During Patient DD’s surgery at the Hospital, she recalls Dr. Doodnaught fondling and caressing her breasts, kissing her with his tongue into her mouth, and placing his penis in her mouth. She could not believe this was happening. She said to Dr. Doodnaught, “What about the other people?” and Dr. Doodnaught said “Don’t worry, I know how to be discreet.” In the recovery room, Dr. Doodnaught grabbed her hand and said to Patient DD, “as soon as you were out, the first thing you reached for was my dick”. The next morning, Patient DD awoke in her hospital room to find Dr. Doodnaught caressing her cheek. While still in the hospital, she told her family member, who said, “Are you sure it wasn’t the drugs?” and the nurse, which led to a report.

On February 25, 2014, Dr. Doodnaught was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. In imposing sentence, the trial Judge found that “The offender’s moral blameworthiness is at the high end of the spectrum. His conduct did enormous damage and was reprehensible in the extreme. It must be condemned in the strongest of terms.” The trial judge emphasized that “George Doodnaught betrayed the extraordinarily high level of trust accorded to him. […] The power imbalance between himself and his victims was absolute.” The judge found that Dr. Doodnaught “exploited the trust he was given and used it to enable him to commit his crimes. He paid no heed to the harm it was doing to his victims, who were sedated but aware of what was happening to them and unable to fight back.” Dr. Doodnaught’s appeal to the Court of Appeal for Ontario was dismissed on October 13, 2017.

Sexual abuse of 11 other patients

Dr. Doodnaught engaged in sexual abuse of patients and disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional conduct with respect to 10 other patients.

- Patient A
When Patient A awoke at the conclusion of the surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught’s penis was going into her mouth. He was also massaging her breasts under her hospital gown. Dr. Doodnaught continued for about 30 seconds before Patient A was taken to the recovery room. Patient A attempted to push Dr. Doodnaught away, but was unable to get her hands up. Patient A did not complain to anyone at the hospital because she felt that she would not be supported by her boss or the administration in the hospital. She disclosed the abuse to a lawyer when she read about the charges against Dr. Doodnaught in the newspaper.

- Patient E
Several hours after Patient E’s surgery at the Hospital, when she was in her hospital room, Dr. Doodnaught came to see her and told her that people do “crazy stuff” when they wake up from the anaesthetic, and that when she woke up, she grabbed him and wanted to “give him a blow job”. Dr. Doodnaught placed his penis in Patient E’s mouth while she lay on her hospital bed. Patient E was shocked, and asked Dr. Doodnaught what he was doing. Dr. Doodnaught removed his penis and covered himself with his lab coat when a nurse entered the room. Patient E disclosed the abuse to police when her friend gave her a copy of a newspaper article about the charges against Dr. Doodnaught.

- Patient F
Prior to Patient F’s surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught rubbed her face with his hand and said, “I’ll look after you, don’t be afraid.”During the surgery, Dr. Doodnaught placed his penis in Patient F’s hand and told her that she could put it in her mouth if she liked, as his wife did that to him. Patient F disclosed the abuse to her family members as soon as she came out of the operating room, and later to her doctor.

- Patient I
In the operating room, prior to her surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught touched and pressed on Patient I’s breasts with both hands and kissed her on her lips. Patient I tried to call for help, but was unable to speak due to the anaesthetic. After her surgery, Patient I disclosed the abuse to her family member and asked her family member to lodge a complaint with the hospital, but ws told that it could not have happened. Patient I later came forward with her complaint after she heard about the charges against Dr. Doodnaught on television.

- Patient K
During her surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught pushed Patient K’s head against his stomach, rubbed her breasts with his hand, and took Patient K’s hand and rubbed it against his penis. Patient K asked Dr. Doodnaught what he was doing. Dr. Doodnaught told her that he was comforting her, and continued. Patient K pulled her hand away and tried to divert him by telling him about her life. After that, Patient K went to sleep. When Patient K awoke after her surgery, she disclosed the abuse to her family members that were present. Her family members told her that she was dreaming. Patient K’s family member reported the abuse to the hospital during an unrelated hospital stay after seeing a story about Dr. Doodnaught in the newspaper.

- Patient L
During her surgery at the Hospital, Patient L awoke. She felt Dr. Doodnaught’s penis in her mouth. When she opened her eyes, Dr. Doodnaught was standing there. She told him that it felt like someone put a penis in her mouth, and Dr. Doodnaught straightened up and asked her how that could be. During the remainder of the surgery, Dr. Doodnaught told Patient L about his family, and she talked about her own family. At the end of the conversation, Dr. Doodnaught kissed Patient L on her cheek. Patient L disclosed the abuse to a lawyer after she heard about the charges against Dr. Doodnaught on the radio.

- Patient P
During her surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught rubbed Patient P’s shoulders and rubbed her left breast with his hands under her hospital gown. Patient P tried to move to stop him, but her arm was tied down, and Dr. Doodnaught held her arm down and said, “no, no.” Patient P then went into a deeper sleep. Later, during the same surgery, Patient P awoke again to Dr. Doodnaught massaging both of her breasts under her gown. She again tried to move her arms, which were tied down, and then blacked out again. When she came to again, Dr. Doodnaught had placed his penis in Patient P’s hand and used her hand to masturbate himself. When she became aware, she pulled her hand away, because it was no longer strapped down. When she heard about the charges against Dr. Doodnaught on television, Patient P disclosed the assault to her family member.

- Patient Y
In the hallway prior to her surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught repeatedly rubbed Patient Y’s face with the back of his hand. After he took her to the operating room, Dr. Doodnaught rubbed Patient Y’s hands and arms, making her feel uncomfortable. Dr. Doodnaught then rubbed Patient Y’s left breast with his hand under her hospital gown. Patient Y wanted to tell her surgeon, but her surgeon did not arrive before she fell asleep. After her surgery, Patient Y disclosed the abuse to a family friend who came to pick her up from the hospital. Patient Y also later disclosed the abuse to her family doctor, who directed her to speak to police, which she did.

- Patient BB
Before she was sedated prior to her surgery at the Hospital, Dr. Doodnaught told Patient BB to “dream that you and I are on a beach together”. During the surgery, Dr. Doodnaught placed his penis in Patient BB’s mouth and her hand. After her surgery, Dr. Doodnaught came to Patient BB’s room and asked her if she remembered anything, and told her that she had made him promise that he would come to her room, and that she had asked him to hold her hand throughout the surgery. Patient BB did not disclose the abuse right away because she thought she might have dreamed it as a result of the anaesthetic. After a friend told her about the charges against Dr. Doodnaught, Patient BB contacted the police.

- Patient EE
After Patient EE’s surgery at the hospital, Dr. Doodnaught kissed her on the mouth five or six times as she was waking up. When Patient EE woke up, she saw Dr. Doodnaught standing beside her and no one else in the room. Dr. Doodnaught asked Patient EE if she was okay. Afterward, Dr. Doodnaught took Patient EE to the intensive care room, where Patient EE disclosed the abuse to her family member, who told her that she should tell her surgeon what happened. Patient EE did not tell her surgeon because she felt her surgeon would not believe her. Patient EE reported the abuse after her family member learned about the charges against Dr. Doodnaught on television and again told her to come forward.

Disposition

On May 22, 2018, the Committee ordered and directed that:

- the Registrar revoke Dr. Doodnaught’s certificate of registration effective immediately.
- Dr. Doodnaught attend before the panel to be reprimanded.
- Dr. Doodnaught pay costs to the College in the amount of $10,180.00 within 30 days of the - date this Order.

On May 29, the Committee further ordered that:

- in addition to the orders made in its Order of May 22, 2018, Dr. Doodnaught shall reimburse - the College for funding provided to patients under the program required under section 85.7 of the Code, by posting an irrevocable letter of credit or other security acceptable to the College, within thirty (30) days of this order in the amount of $497, 860.00.


Decision: Download Full Decision (PDF)
Appeal: No Appeal
Hearing Date(s): May 22, 2018

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