Doctor convicted of sexual assaults loses bid to regain medical licence

A Manitoba regulatory body has rejected the efforts of a former Winnipeg doctor convicted of multiple sexual assaults against his patients to regain his license to practise medicine.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba denied Amir Mazhari Ravesh’s application for reinstatement, saying they were not satisfied that conditions proposed by Ravesh — to restrict his ability to practise — would adequately protect the public.

As outlined in the decision, which is dated March 14, Ravesh was convicted in December 2019 of six counts of sexual assault, perpetrated against six women under the guise of medical examination. The convictions were upheld on appeal. Ravesh was sentenced to seven years in prison and his license to practise was revoked.

Ravesh has since been released on parole, the decision says, and he sought the reinstatement of his license, which was argued at a public hearing on Feb. 26.

The former family doctor argued he should be reinstated because he did not have a disciplinary record with the college prior to his convictions; there is a shortage of family physicians in Manitoba; and based on his belief that there was a “miscarriage of justice” involving his convictions, “in that the trial judge improperly made findings that Dr. Ravesh’s actions were medically improper,” the decision reads.

He proposed that, if reinstated, he be restricted to only treating male patients and children under the age of 18.

The college’s registrar, in constrast, argued that he had not demonstrated he had been adequately rehabilitated; that his reinstatement would “undermine the public’s confidence in the profession’s ability to self-regulate;” and that finally, Ravesh does not meet the college’s “good character requirements,” having violated fundamental principles of medical ethics and trust.

“Dr. Ravesh denied to the Panel that he had committed the sexual assaults. When asked by the Panel whether he took responsibility for his conduct leading to the Convictions, Dr. Ravesh denied having done anything wrong,” the decision says. “His submissions to the Panel indicate that he has not yet realized or accepted the import of these convictions and the harm he caused to his patients.”

According to the college’s initial decision, the sexual assaults took place over more than a year, between April 2016 to October 2017, perpetrated against six women between the ages of 19- and 36 years-old at the time.

An appeal decision, which upheld the convictions, described the manner of the sexual assaults, which included touching female patients inappropriately, making sexual remarks to them and making them touch him. In one case, according to the decision, “he put her hand on his erect penis and told her to rub it, and he put her on his lap and rubbed his genitals against her buttocks. Then he told her not to tell anyone.”

In its March decision, the college panel said Ravesh’s “lack of insight into his conduct” and failure to take responsibility for his actions means they shared no certainty that he would not reoffend in the future, if allowed to return to medical practice.

The panel’s decision to refuse the reinstatement of Ravesh’s license was unanimous.