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Miklos Bolza

Doctor barred for sexually exploiting vulnerable woman

A doctor's licence has been revoked for inappropriately touching a patient who is an abuse survivor. (Julian Smith/AAP PHOTOS)

A doctor who inappropriately touched a female sexual assault survivor has been stripped of his medical licence.

Sharwan Narayan massaged the woman's leg, examined her breasts without consent and tweaked her nipples during an appointment in February 2020.

A month later, the general practitioner again massaged her leg before asking questions about her sex life and claiming he could teach her to orgasm.

The woman told the GP that she had been a sexual abuse survivor who had lost her home in a bushfire.

The 45-year-old committed a serious abuse of trust by exploiting this vulnerable woman, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal said in a decision revoking his medical registration on Monday.

Dr Narayan had been working under supervisory conditions imposed by the tribunal in 2023 over sexualised remarks made to another female patient and two work colleagues in 2019 and 2020.

"I had a dream about you last night ... and I had to have a cold shower," he told the 31-year-old patient.

He also suggested having sex with a colleague on top of a pile of chairs and suggested another coworker come to his home for "midnight stress relief".

Doctor
The doctor had already been working under supervisory conditions over his past conduct. (Alan Porritt/AAP PHOTOS)

Already diagnosed with PTSD from childhood events, the Fijian-born doctor's sexual misconduct stemmed from the stress of work overload and his personal insecurities regarding relationships, the tribunal found in June 2023.

His registration was cancelled outright on Monday after the tribunal found he had not disclosed the hearings held over the massage complaint to his employer.

At the same time, a number of patients expressed dissatisfaction with Dr Narayan.

"We have serious concerns about Dr Narayan’s level of insight, particularly in relation to the connection between stress and its effect on his performance at work," the tribunal wrote.

The GP unsuccessfully argued he should still be allowed to work under the same supervisory restrictions.

He said he had completed a number of counselling programs since 2023 including the Respectful Me program run by Relationships Australia.

He will be permitted to review the revocation of his registration in January 2027.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

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