Indian-origin doctor in Canada convicted of sexual abuse, medical licence suspended; she responds
Indian-origin physician Suman Khulbe “had a sexual relationship with one patient and close personal ties with others, including business links with two.”
Indian-origin physician Suman Khulbe has had her medical licence revoked in Canada after being found guilty of sexual abuse and professing love to patients.
She lost her registration in the province after admitting to sexually abusing one male patient and acting unprofessionally with two others, to whom she professed her love, National Post reported.
A panel reviewing her conduct concluded that Khulbe did not treat her patients solely as patients.
“She saw them as her friends, her social life, her athletic life and her business partners,” the panel noted, adding that the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario enforces a zero-tolerance policy for sexual contact between a doctor and a patient, even if the contact would otherwise be considered consensual.
Engaged in sexual acts with one patient, maintained close ties with others
The panel's decision said Khulbe “had a sexual relationship with one patient and deep personal relationships with others. She had business relationships with two of these patients".
According to the National Post, Khulbe intends to appeal the ruling.
{{/usCountry}}According to the National Post, Khulbe intends to appeal the ruling.
{{/usCountry}}“Many facts of my case were omitted and not brought out during the public hearing. Attending this contested hearing came at considerable financial and personal sacrifice to both me and my parents in order for my voice to be heard," Khulbe said in a statement to NP.
{{/usCountry}}“Many facts of my case were omitted and not brought out during the public hearing. Attending this contested hearing came at considerable financial and personal sacrifice to both me and my parents in order for my voice to be heard," Khulbe said in a statement to NP.
{{/usCountry}}While testifying before the tribunal, Khulbe said she was “raised in an Indian home with traditional values". She admitted to having sexual relations with the trainer and characterised it as a relationship. She told the tribunal that she referred to her vitamin injections as “procaine” because it rhymed with cocaine.
{{/usCountry}}While testifying before the tribunal, Khulbe said she was “raised in an Indian home with traditional values". She admitted to having sexual relations with the trainer and characterised it as a relationship. She told the tribunal that she referred to her vitamin injections as “procaine” because it rhymed with cocaine.
{{/usCountry}}The tribunal highlighted that Khulbe held social events with patients at her clinic, where alcohol was consumed and procaine administered.
{{/usCountry}}The tribunal highlighted that Khulbe held social events with patients at her clinic, where alcohol was consumed and procaine administered.
{{/usCountry}}Procaine is a local anaesthetic used for anaesthesia, peripheral nerve blocks, and spinal nerve blocks. A gym trainer alleged that Khulbe performed deep tissue physical therapy on him during these gatherings.
Began career as a family physician in 2001
Khulbe began practising as a family physician in 2001 and purchased a house in Kanata, which she converted into her private clinic. She joined a local gym in 2015, where one of the gym trainers later became a complainant. The trainer stated he initially received vitamin therapy from her, which later shifted to physical therapy for muscle recovery.
Court documents reveal that Khulbe “would do breathing exercises while she had her hands on his genitals,” according to the trainer.
He alleged that the sexual acts included her performing oral sex, kissing, and manual stimulation, adding that he was under the influence of procaine during these incidents.
In 2018, Khulbe left family practice and launched an executive practice offering patients a holistic approach to healthcare. She and the trainer also discussed starting a sports nutrition business together.
Other patients claimed they were administered procaine by Khulbe, who allegedly told them that she loved them. Khulbe has previously described the case as a “witch hunt” and an extortion tactic, asserting that she had a close relationship with the gym trainer whose statements, she said, “have been weaponized in the case.”
