The Order of Physicians sanctioned the practitioner after acts deemed contrary to ethics.
The case questions the boundary that should never be crossed in a care relationship. If situations of this type remain rare, they remind us that the medical consultation must be a protected space, where the trust placed in the doctor cannot be misused. In this specific case, the relationships maintained by the practitioner, although consensual, violated the principles which strictly govern the profession.
The general practitioner was banned from practicing after having intimate relationships with two patients he regularly followed. The national disciplinary chamber of the Order of Physicians confirmed the sanction pronounced at first instance. According to information published on Le Télégramme, the relationships were consensual, but the rule is explicit: a doctor cannot enter into an intimate relationship with a patient because of the link of authority and dependence inherent in care.
The case became heavier when the Order established that some of these reports took place during consultations billed and reimbursed by Health Insurance. In its decision, the body mentions breaches of “morality” and “probity”, as well as “fraud” and “abuse of rating”, terms rarely used in this type of disciplinary case. Two separate decisions were rendered, each sanctioning the Saint-Malo practitioner with a nine-month ban on practicing, including three months suspended. Together, they result in a firm one-year ban, in force since November 1. During this period, the doctor must cease all professional activity.
This case serves as a reminder that patients also have recourse when inappropriate behavior occurs in a medical setting. They can contact the Order of Physicians, initiate mediation or, depending on the seriousness of the facts, turn to the courts. The Order regularly emphasizes this principle: the care relationship must remain free of any ambiguity and never endanger the patient’s vulnerability.
