A charity that supports rape victims in Southend is backing calls for Dr Ali Shokouh-Amiri’s medical licence to be revoked.
He admitted a number of “serious failings” involving six patients when he worked in Guernsey as the MSG’s Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist between 2016 and 2019.
A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel found that a number of other allegations made against him by the six women were not proven. The MPTS issued him with a formal warning last month but said he could continue working.
The doctor left the island in 2019 and has worked in Southend since 2022.
The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust which now employs him said at the time of the Tribunal decision that it has “full confidence in his ability to provide safe, high-quality care to our patients”.
However, not everyone in the Southend area shares that same confidence.
Rape Crisis Southend said that women under its care are considering missing gynaecology appointments in the town because they are so concerned.
“The implications for their long-term health could be highly detrimental, and in the worst-case scenario, life threatening,” the charity wrote.
The charity has put that risk squarely at the door of the NHS Trust which continues to employ Dr Shokouh-Amiri.
“This justifiable lack of confidence must be considered carefully by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust moving forwards,” it said.
It added: “The tone taken to justify the continued employment of the named individual is an insult to women. The findings of the tribunal that are in the public domain will undoubtedly deter some women from seeking care and treatment at Southend Hospital.”
Many other women and men in Southend, Guernsey, and elsewhere have shared concerns about Dr Shokouh-Amiri’s continued employment.
A petition calling for him to be struck off launched by healthcare worker Mollie-Jane Randall has now received more than 22,000 signatures.
She told Express that she is still waiting for her local hospital to change its mind about employing him.
“I’m happy to see that Rape Crisis Southend is now involved and supporting the female community. However, he is still practicing,” she said. “Women are still missing vital appointments that their health depends on in fear of being at risk from the doctor.
“It’s disgusting that us women are waiting months to see a doctor in the gynae unit, let alone not knowing if we are even going to be safe when we do attend!
“I cannot fault the other male doctors at the unit, but unfortunately this man has traumatised too many women and is still getting away with it.
“It’s vile that Southend Hospital are happy with the way this situation has been unveiled and there is still no reassurance for our community that this man will get what he deserves.”
MPs representing constituents in Southend have also raised their concerns – and they encouraged any women with concerns about their own treatment to call an enquiry line that has been set up in the Essex town.
David Burton-Sampson MP has further stated that he is “not satisfied that (the situation) has been resolved appropriately”.
She and the other female victims found out in February that he had been given a formal warning for the “serious failings” against them, while under his care, but that he could continue working.
Under the rules of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, the General Medical Council can appeal its decisions but Express has been unable to confirm if that has happened.
Express also asked The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust for an updated comment on Dr Shokouh-Amiri’s employment status but had not received a reply at the time of publication.
