Rotterdam doctor sentenced for sexual misconduct with students and patient
A 57-year-old internist from Dordrecht, formerly employed at Maasstad Ziekenhuis in Rotterdam, was sentenced Thursday for sexual misconduct involving three medical students and a patient. An internist is a doctor who treats adults and specializes in illnesses of the internal organs. The Rotterdam District Court imposed a 240-hour community service sentence, a five-year professional ban, and a six-month suspended prison term. The doctor must also pay damages to the victims, Rijnmond reported.
In November 2021, three students filed complaints regarding an ultrasound lesson. The students said the internist pushed aside their underwear and touched their breasts. One student described the incident: “We expected only an ultrasound of the abdomen, but unexpectedly he also examined the groin and the heart. I suddenly lay half-naked on the table and had to spread my legs. I felt so vulnerable, so powerless, so small. This was pure abuse of power.”
The female students learned that male students had previously undergone the same lesson fully clothed. The internist allegedly recorded the students while they examined each other half-naked, though the footage is no longer available.
During an earlier hearing, the doctor claimed the camera had been aimed at the wall, not the women, and said: “I filmed only to time how long the examination lasted. In hindsight, a very stupid action. A few days later, the camera broke and I threw it away.”
The court found that the internist abused his position, noting he was significantly older than the students, served as their instructor, and held a position of authority. The man has denied the allegations.
The internist had already been dismissed by Maasstad Ziekenhuis. The regional medical disciplinary board suspended him in 2023 and subsequently removed him from the BIG register, preventing him from practicing medicine in the Netherlands.
