Surgeons at Dutch hospital accused of harassing female medical trainees
At least four surgeons from HagaZiekenhuis in The Hague have been accused of sexually inappropriate behavior toward female medical trainees in recent years, according to an investigation by the Dutch television program Zembla (BNNVARA). The hospital has acknowledged mishandling reports of misconduct and admitted errors in addressing such incidents.
The alleged misconduct took place during work-related activities, including post-surgery discussions. One medical trainee recounted a surgeon frequently inviting her to private meetings under the pretense of professional discussions, only to attempt kissing her. “He would always say, ‘Come here for a moment,’ and then try to kiss me,” the trainee explained.
The female trainee filed a complaint against the supervising surgeon responsible for overseeing her medical training. She described a culture of fear that made reporting misconduct particularly challenging. Medical trainees depend heavily on evaluations from their supervising surgeons, creating a power imbalance that dissuades them from coming forward.
“You tolerate the behavior to some extent because you’re scared,” she said. After filing her complaint, she felt ostracized, stating, “They completely turned on me.”
The inappropriate behavior extended beyond the workplace. According to the investigation, incidents also occurred during team outings, including trips to Italy in 2020 and Spain in 2023. On both occasions, a surgeon allegedly cornered a trainee in a hotel elevator, forcibly kissed her, and embraced her without consent. Dutch law classifies such actions as criminal offenses.
In response to the allegations, HagaZiekenhuis admitted to failing to properly handle reports of misconduct in the past. “We acknowledge that we did not always handle complaints about inappropriate behavior appropriately. We fell short in addressing these issues,” the hospital stated.
At least four surgeons have been the subject of formal complaints. One retired early in 2022, while another has been barred from serving as a trainer for medical trainees.
One of the accused surgeons denied the allegations, describing his actions as jokes that were acceptable in the past but are now viewed differently. “These were jokes that used to be normal, but now they’re being brought up, and it all seems awful,” he said.
The Zembla investigation is based on internal emails, recorded conversations, and official reports. The allegations suggest systemic issues within the hospital, which operates in The Hague and Zoetermeer.
HagaZiekenhuis announced measures to prevent future misconduct. Board chairman Peter van der Meer and medical specialist representative Ronne Mairuhu stated that additional confidential advisors would be appointed to support staff.
