MANDEL: Hamilton doctor stripped of licence for sexual abuse

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Hamilton family doctor Koma Diryawish Israel has run out of chances.

Found to have sexually abused two patients between 2017 and 2021 – and completely ignored an undertaking not to be alone with patients without a monitor – a disciplinary tribunal has revoked his licence to practise.

The question is why it took so long.

The decision released this week outlines a long list of bad behaviours by the Baghdad-trained doctor who didn’t contest the allegations.

The tribunal found he repeatedly made sexual comments to Patient A, and on several occasions grabbed, kissed, rubbed and held her, pushed her against the wall and attempted to pull her pants down in a lengthy and relentless pursuit to have sex with her – despite her begging him to stop.

In one December 2019 incident, the decision says, Israel pulled down his pants to show her how “big it is.” He then asked her to look and made a remark about her having sex with him.

Patient A managed to record some of the doctor’s piggish statements, including comments on her body and appearance, telling her she’s a sex expert and a rendition of his sexual encounter with another woman. She ultimately had enough and reported him to Hamilton Police.

Israel was then arrested and charged with sexual assault. On Oct. 18, 2022, he pleaded guilty to common assault and received a suspended sentence.

You’d think that incident would scare him straight. But you’d be wrong.

While awaiting trial, Israel saw Patient B three times in 2021 and assaulted her when she complained of chest pain.

“Even after he was arrested and was answering to the criminal justice system, he abused Patient B,” the tribunal said. “The registrant disregarded the area of her body she had pointed out. Without explanation or consent, he moved her bra in order to squeeze one of her breasts. He left her in shock and pain, which he exacerbated by making sexual remarks to her outside the clinic.”

Patient B was understandably upset and immediately reported the abuse to a friend, who contacted the police on her behalf.

Red flags were flying everywhere, so while the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario was investigating the two women’s complaints, they had the doctor sign an interim agreement that he wouldn’t see patients without the presence of an approved monitor.

“He breached this undertaking over 110 times between August 2022 and April 2024,” the tribunal said.

One could ask why Israel was still practising at all after a judge found him guilty of assaulting a patient in the fall of 2022.

It also wasn’t the first time Israel was in trouble.

In 2019, the college’s discipline committee found him guilty of misconduct for lewd comments he made to a patient, telling her she needs a man and her problem was that she didn’t have a husband or boyfriend.

“Dr. Israel also asked Patient A, in an inappropriate and unprofessional manner, whether she was attaining sexual satisfaction by masturbating,” the tribunal said.

The committee found the doc’s comments were “degrading and showed a lack of sensitivity,” suspended him for a month and ordered him to take an ethics and boundaries course.

“It will serve to rehabilitate Dr. Israel and [provide] for public protection.”

It obviously didn’t work.

“Instead,” the tribunal wrote, “this was the beginning of the train of sexual abuse in the second half of 2019 that left Patient A violated, begging him to stop, and pushing him away to free herself.”

That bad behaviour only continued.

“Even after the criminal conviction in 2022, Dr. Israel showed flagrant disregard for his professional obligations, including the undertaking to the College, and he has now lost his registration as a physician.”

Israel was supposed to appear for a reprimand but didn’t bother to show up or indicate when he could. But he can’t ghost them completely.

He has until Dec. 9 to pay $6,000 in tribunal costs and $35,880 to reimburse therapy and counselling provided to his victims.

mmandel@postmedia.com