A doctor accused of sexually assaulting two patients has criticised the Mater Hospital for failing to provide him with adequate training to examine patients.
"They take you on knowing that your knowledge and experience are limited, that you are from Third World countries, without saying the patients are different," he told the jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. "There is an insurance system here for doctors. Patients don't sue doctors in my country," he added.
It was the 10th day of the trial of the 35-year-old Pakistani doctor, who denies sexually assaulting two woman patients at the Mater Hospital on July 28th, 1997. They allege they were sexually molested by the doctor during examinations to assess if they were suitable for surgery to have their tonsils removed.
Asked why he did not wear surgical gloves during the examinations, the accused said the court had already heard from Pakistani doctors that they were not freely available in his country. He denied trying to kiss the first woman or telling her she was "a beautiful lady" or that she had "a lovely nipple".
He said he met the second patient in the Mater on the same night and introduced himself after examining her file. She complained of a heaviness of mood in the morning, together with headaches, which could have been an indication of pregnancy. He told her he wanted to perform a physical examination and she said: "OK".
He asked her to lie on the bed and lifted up her polo-neck sweater to breast level. He began pressing her hand on her abdomen, moving from one side to another. He told her he wished to perform a vaginal examination, and she consented. Later he examined her heart beat by placing his fingers on three parts of her chest. He checked her chest with a stethoscope to assess the flow of blood through the heart. On the fourth check, he lifted up her left breast and placed the stethoscope underneath it.
The trial continues next week.