A pediatrician who was charged with sexual assault will be monitored by a chaperone, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) said Tuesday.
“The CPSA learned that Dr. Ramneek Kumar was charged with three counts: sexual assault and sexual interference of a minor,” college spokesperson Jessica McPhee said. “When CPSA learned about these charges, we acted quickly to ensure patients’ safety.”
The college said Kumar was charged by RCMP on March 27. It then asked him to withdraw from practice.
“He did not accept that request to withdraw from practice,” McPhee said.
“Our next step was to have him agree to a condition to his practice. So, every patient he sees, he must have a chaperone in the room for every interaction with a patient.”
Kumar was listed as a doctor on staff at a St. Albert medical clinic. However, in a statement issued Wednesday, the Rivercrest Medical Clinic said Kumar rendered his resignation on the morning of April 2 and has not practised at the clinic since March 20.
“He is no longer a part of our team,” the statement read, adding the company’s IT department is working to update its doctor list online.
“Our clinic was not informed of the charges laid against Dr. Kumar by the CPSA, or the RCMP. We heard about it like everyone else did, on the news on Friday night, March 29. We were all very shocked,” the statement said.
The clinic said it began communication with the CPSA on March 30 and has been complying with its direction ever since.
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The clinic is working to reschedule Kumar’s appointments and attempting to find a pediatrician who can see patients at the clinic.
The college said it will oversee the chaperone supervision during the RCMP and CPSA investigations.
“It’s also our obligation to ensure that there’s a due process to it,” McPhee said. “The criminal process must go through its entirety before we can make a decision about guilt or not guilt.”
The CPSA registrar is also considering further practice restrictions as per Section 65 of the Health Professions Act, which can include suspension.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta is the regulator for all physicians and surgeons in the province. It also holds Alberta physicians to ethical and medical practice standards and investigates physician-related complaints.
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