A Montreal family doctor will never be able to treat women again, rules the College of Physicians of Quebec, and debars him again for four years for having put a finger in the genitals of a 20-year-old patient who consulted for skin rashes on the forehead.
• Read also: Abusive gynecological examination of a patient who consulted for acne on her forehead: this family doctor still guilty of sexual misconduct
• Read also: A doctor still accused of sexual acts on patients
The young woman who had consulted the Dr Craig Smith for a rash on his forehead “felt violated”, we read in the judgment of the Disciplinary Council of the College of Physicians, rendered on November 24.
Disbarred again for a second sexual misconduct, this time for four years, the family doctor will never be able to treat women again, the College of Physicians of Quebec (CMQ) also imposes on him. This is a rare and severe sanction which enormously limits a general practitioner’s scope of practice.
The Dr Craig Smith was disbarred for three years, in May 2019, for taking a photo of a patient’s genitals without her knowledge and trying to photograph another with her cell phone while she was topless.
The doctor insisted
Even though the law provides for a minimum five-year disbarment for sexual misconduct, the disciplinary council ruled that he deserved a lenient three-year sanction. This time with a sanction of four years, he once again benefited from the clemency of the Council.
The alleged acts took place in 2018 at the Santé Mont-Royal Medical Center. The young woman had agreed to undergo a gynecological examination since the Dr Smith insisted, the judgment indicates. However, she did not see the link with her problem on the forehead.
The doctor inserted a finger into her vagina during an examination of her vulva. He then crouched behind her as she stood and asked her to lean forward, then spread her buttocks, to look at his private parts.
Met by the CMQ trustee in 2021, Dr Smith defended himself by saying that this technique “is a way of carrying out a visual anal examination to check for possible infection,” we read in the judgment.
Vulnerable patient
According to the Disciplinary Council, the doctor “places himself in a situation where he takes advantage of the vulnerability of a young patient,” we read.
A doctor since 2003, Dr Smith was also found guilty of performing an improper gynecological examination and failing to use a speculum.
In the judgment, we can read that the doctor is very “affected” by the patient’s allegations, and that they are the result of an “erroneous perception”.
According to the Council, the doctor did not seem to realize “the full seriousness of the actions he committed”.
The Dr Smith was also fined $5,000. The amount will be given to the patient to help her cover her therapeutic costs.