By Eniola Amadu
A resident doctor of the NHS has been suspended for 15 months following a post on social media alleged to contain antisemitic comments.
The trauma and orthopaedic surgeon trainee, Dr Rahmeh Aladwan, was suspended by a medical tribunal and also accused of showing support for “violent action and terrorist organisations”.
According to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), the posts “may impact on patient confidence” in her and the profession, and patients could be “discouraged” from requesting medical care from her.
The 31-year-old British Palestinian has denied the allegations.
The hearing, which took place in Manchester, saw that Dr Aladwan’s post on X included antisemitic fabricated stories together with posts that “demonise, or express and encourage hatred towards Jews in general, their history and their way of life”.
The legal representative in defence of Dr Aladwan said to the tribunal that there was “no evidence” that her actions on social media had “any impact on patient safety or her ability to fulfil her duties as a doctor”
She is currently being examined in a fitness to practise investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC), the independent authority that oversees medical professionals to ensure patient protection.
The inquiry was initiated after claims that Dr Aladwan had written antisemitic or offensive remarks in posts that appeared to advocate or praise acts of terrorism.
The GMC’s social media regulations mention that medical practitioners have the right to “freedom of belief, privacy, and expression”.
However, the use of social media “has to be balanced with the possible impact on other people’s rights and interests”.
“Let this decision stand as the definitive proof that there is no independent British medical regulation,” Dr Aladwan said on X, in response to the tribunal’s ruling. “The ‘Israeli’ and Jewish lobby decide who can and cannot practise medicine in Britain.”
“This is not an end. It is the beginning of a far greater battle for the integrity of our institutions,” she added.
