Doctor suspended over 'unprofessional and inappropriate' relationship with teen patient

A Winnipeg doctor has been suspended for a year after he pleaded guilty to professional misconduct involving a teenage patient he showered with gifts and who overdosed on medication he provided, a College of Physicians and Surgeons report says.

The scathing report describes a long list of boundary violations and professional misconduct by Dr. Shamoon Din, 42.

The girl, referred to in the report as Patient A, started seeing Din at a clinic in October 2015 when she was 16.

Din and the girl began regularly sending each other text messages, as well as meeting outside of the clinic, between summer and November 2016, the report says.

Din sent the girl thousands of texts, many with profanity and sexualized images, but that was not the worst of his behaviour, the College of Physicians and Surgeons report says.

"Dr. Din's misconduct went far beyond transmitting an extraordinary number of salacious and manifestly unprofessional and inappropriate text messages to Patient A," the report says. "Dr. Din's professional misconduct and his contraventions of various professional standards caused Patient A harm and are very serious and disturbing."

He bought her gifts, including concert tickets, and offered to loan her $4,000 to buy a car, investigators say.

He also gave her painkillers and anti-anxiety medication, on which she overdosed, ending up in hospital, the report says.

"Patient A's interactions with Dr. Din resulted in her health and wellness being seriously compromised," the report says. "Patient A was young and vulnerable. Dr. Din was well aware, or should have been well aware, of those vulnerabilities, but acted in a selfish, indulgent way."

The girl's mother discovered the messages and pictures on the girl's phone after she was hospitalized on Feb. 22, 2017, following an overdose of Lorazepam that Din had prescribed.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons was notified and opened its investigation on Feb. 28, 2017, and Din agreed to stop practising for a period of eight weeks. After that, he resumed practising on a restricted basis.

The Winnipeg Police Service was notified but did not pursue criminal charges due to a lack of evidence that Din had a sexual relationship with the girl or provided her with prescription drugs outside the clinic where he worked.

Din signed an agreement to cease practising on Jan. 18, 2018. After taking into account the time Din has already spent not working, he could resume practising as early as November 2018.

On top of the suspension, Din must pay nearly $30,000 for the inquiry costs. When he returns to practice, he must always have a practice supervisor in whatever setting he is practising, and he must have a chaperone present when meeting with female patients.

Although a psychological assessment found that Din did not suffer from a significant diagnosable psychiatric disorder, as part of the conditions imposed on him, Din must also continue seeing a psychotherapist to address the underlying personality traits that contributed to his behaviour.