Doctor accused of raping patient during private treatment


Tuesday January 10, 2006


A family doctor molested a female patient and raped another during private treatment sessions at his home, a medical tribunal heard yesterday.

Dr Raju Wannaku-Korale is said to have molested the two women on separate occasions while he was working as a locum in the Greater Manchester area.

Sarah Plaschkes, for the General Medical Council, told the hearing in Manchester that Dr Wannaku-Korale, 65, had lured one of the women, known as Ms C, back to his home in Eccles after asking her to help make face and body creams.

He had begun treating her in May 2001 after she visited his Wigan surgery suffering from depression. In March 2002 she was referred to Wigan infirmary.

Although he stopped working at the health centre in April he continued to see her.

Ms Plaschkes told the tribunal that while they were at his house, the conversation turned to her health and she agreed to the doctor's offer of an internal examination.

Dr Wannaku-Korale then indecently assaulted Ms C, Ms Plaschkes added.

During police interviews he admitted to having sex with Ms C, but claimed it was consensual.

He was cleared of rape charges after the judge ordered the jury to return not guilty verdicts.

Ms Plaschkes also claimed that Dr Wannaku-Korale groped the breast of Ms A, 55, who visited the practice in March 1999 for treatment of anxiety and heart palpitations.

The doctor did not attend yesterday's hearing, telling the GMC by email that he was too sick to travel.

He was due to appear before a a GMC disciplinary hearing in April after concerns were raised over his treatment of cancer sufferer Thomas Hesmondhalgh who later died.

Dr Wannaku-Korale examined Hesmondhalgh in 1999, but failed to refer him to hospital despite his condition requiring "urgent specialist investigation", Ms Plaschkes said.

She said: "Mr Hesmondhalgh required urgent admission to hospital on March 10 and that should have been obvious to any competent doctor on the basis of simple observation."

The doctor refused to admit Hesmondhalgh to hospital despite his requests. Only days later he was admitted to hospital and died after less than a month of secondary cancer.

"Mr Hesmondhalgh was very seriously ill. To not just fail to refer him but to refuse to refer a patient was in the expert opinion of one doctor from whom you shall hear, to fail abysmally in his duties as a doctor," said Ms Plaschkes.

"Dr Wannaku-Korale was effectively walking away from a dying man and offering Mr Hesmondhalgh no comfort - it was a catastrophic failure."

Dr Wannaku-Korale denies a charge of serious professional misconduct.

The hearing continues.