A family doctor is giving up his license after a small camera was found in the staff washroom at his clinic.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia has released its decision in the case of Dr. Rafid Sabah Al-Nassar.
The hearing committee’s report says Al-Nassar placed a hidden camera in a bathroom at his New Glasgow clinic.
“On the morning of March 21, 2016, a staff member at the Westside Medical Clinic in New Glasgow found a hook containing a hidden camera on the wall of the staff washroom and pointed towards the toilet,” the decision reads.
The committee says the SD card contained footage of an employee, who was also Al-Nassar’s patient, using the bathroom.
Eight months later, New Glasgow Police charged Al-Nassar with voyeurism. The college also launched its investigation.
The criminal charges were later stayed due to court delays.
“The Nova Scotia Supreme Court ultimately stayed the criminal charges against Dr. Al-Nassar due to its finding that Dr. Al-Nassar had been denied his constitutional right to have a trial within a reasonable time,” the committee says.
The report says despite the ruling, Al-Nassar does not dispute the allegations brought to the college, which include serious wrongdoing.
“The placement of a surreptitious recording device in a staff washroom constitutes professional misconduct and conduct unbecoming,” the report says.
Al-Nassar can apply for reinstatement in two years.
