UK, December 3, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Two physicians with child porn convictions are among the more rthan 750 physicians with criminal convictions still practicing medicine in the UK, the General Medical Council (GMC) revealed in a Freedom of Information response to The Telegraph.
The GMC report revealed that in October this year, 761 doctors with criminal records were considered in good standing. The report said that these doctors cannot be automatically banned from practicing medicine because this might violate their human rights.
The Telegraph reported that the convictions among the doctors included one physician who took indecent photographs of a child, and two with convictions for possessing child pornography.
“Human rights should not allow doctors to get away with still practising after being convicted of these crimes. There are shocking convictions for violence and doctors having images of children. The fact they have not been struck off is an outrage,” said Roger Goss of the patient's rights group Patient Concern.
There were also 31 offences of assault, three of possessing dangerous weapons, seven for soliciting prostitutes, a dozen for domestic violence, and two of child cruelty or neglect, as well as a variety of other convictions.
The report also noted that the convictions of more than 200 other doctors were not made public by the GMC. A spokesman said that because the crimes were related to health issues such as depression, and the GMC is bound by law to “respect the doctor’s confidentiality,” the hearings were held in secret.
Grahame Morris MP, a member of the health select committee, told the Telegraph he was “shocked” and could “not envisage any circumstances whereby an individual with convictions for sex offences or violence is a fit and proper person to practice medicine.”
Morris added, however, that “not every conviction would automatically mean a person is unfit to practise. This is an issue that the health select committee will want to pursue with the GMC.
Contact info:
General Medical Council
Niall Dickson, Chief Executive
Phone: 0161 923 6602
Email: [email protected]