Hull hospital doctor struck off for 'sexual harassment'

A doctor who inappropriately touched two junior female colleagues has been struck off the medical register.

Dr Vikram Aarella, who worked in Hull, made the unwanted contact on several occasions in October 2022.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found Dr Aarella had "brushed against" the breast of one of the complainants - referred to as Dr A - with his arm and hand multiple times while grabbing papers and opening a door.

He also "hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, all without asking her" in a car park at the end of their shift, with Dr A telling another colleague how she felt "grossed out" by the incident, the report stated.

In her witness statement, the junior doctor said she "froze" when he kissed her on the cheek.

Dr Aarella also probed into her private life telling her she should not marry a man from a particular ethnic background as "they are the worst type of men. They treat people badly, are gross and creepy", which the tribunal found unacceptable.

The pair were working in a hospital A&E department at the time on 7 October, the report said.

Another junior doctor accused Dr Aarella of repeatedly placing "his hands on my shoulders and back" and had touched her stomach on one occasion, while working in an Acute Admissions Unit on 10 October 2022.

In her witness statement, she said at the time she never told anyone about the incident, which had made "me feel really uncomfortable", but would confront him if they worked together again.

The report said Dr Aarella, who qualified in 1999 in India, had previously been suspended for 10 months after he behaved in "a sexually motivated manner" towards three female colleagues between 2013 and 2015.

He was handed a five-year restraining order in relation to one of the doctors in September 2020 at Nottingham Crown Court.

The suspension was imposed following a tribunal hearing in September 2022 but did not come into effect immediately.

The tribunal said: "In conclusion, the tribunal determined that Dr Aarella's conduct which he has now carried out against five junior colleagues, shows a reckless disregard for GMP and is fundamentally incompatible with continued registration."

The tribunal was mindful that Dr Aarella has already been subject to a period of suspension, during which he repeated his behaviour and has not demonstrated that he has been able to remediate this.

It said there were concerns of "a high risk of repetition" and decided "erasure was the only appropriate sanction".

In a statement, the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We take all allegations of misconduct extremely seriously and would like to reassure staff that anyone raising concerns will be fully supported through the process.

"Mr Aarella has not worked for our trust in any capacity since 2022 when we become aware of the allegations regarding our staff."

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