Flemish hotline for transgressive behaviour receives over 150 reports about gynaecologist
The Flemish hotline for transgressive behaviour has in the past few days received more than 150 reports about a gynaecologist at the UZA Antwerp and the Regional Hospital in Tienen. The gynaecologist was suspended after several patients testified in the newspaper De Morgen about transgressive behaviour. The man denies all allegations.
In recent days, several women testified in De Morgen about how they were treated inappropriately during consultations by a gynaecologist at the UZA Antwerp and the Regional Hospital Tienen. Both hospitals subsequently suspended him pending further investigation.
On Thursday, the Flemish hotline for transgressive behaviour also received a series of reports about the man. The hotline opened a second telephone line at the time, and a third line was opened today. “We have never experienced anything like this before,” said Liesbeth Wyseur of the Flemish Justice and Enforcement Agency, which manages the hotline. “The phone is ringing off the hook.” In total, more than 150 reports about the doctor in question have already been received.
The agency is authorised to advise people so that their complaints are dealt with appropriately, but it cannot initiate an investigation itself. That power lies with the public prosecutor's office and, to a limited extent, with the Medical Association and the Federal Supervisory Commission. Neither the Leuven nor the Antwerp public prosecutor's office has received any complaints at this stage and they have not yet initiated an official investigation.
The gynaecologist denies all allegations through his solicitor. “Our client has had an impeccable career for 35 years. He emphasises that he has always acted professionally and has never committed any transgressive acts.”
#FlandersNewsService | Illustration © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM
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