A DOCTOR who sexually abused female patients over more than 20 years must wait to see if he can ever practice again.

Dr Navin Zala was due to face a General Medical Council Fitness to Practice hearing in Manchester, starting today, which would have decided if he could practice medicine again.

But this was postponed, with a date yet to be decided.

He was removed from West Kent Primary Care Trust (now NHS Kent and Medway) Performers’ register of GPs in 2009, and the ban was upheld following a tribunal last year.

At the GMC hearing he faces allegations he was inappropriate and sexually motivated when he touched a woman's breasts during a consultation, carried out unnecessary examination for thrush and touched the woman's breasts and inner thigh during and internal examination.

It is also alleged he touched another patients pubic hair during an abdominal examination and pushed his groin into the back of her neck.

Despite facing court action on four occasions, he has never been convicted and strongly denies the accusations.

At the tribunal last year he was found to have behaved inappropriately towards six ‘carefully selected’ vulnerable, young and pregnant patients by subjecting them to unnecessary breast and internal examinations at his former practice in Marling Way, Gravesend between 1988 and 2007.

The case was reinvestigated by the NHS trust following a complaint in 2007 from a mother whose breasts were examined despite visiting for a lump on her caesarean scar.

A report published after Dr Zala’s August appeal said: "The findings revealed a pattern of behaviour by Dr Zala towards each of these women that was abusive, exploitative and sexually motivated over a period of many years."

Medical director for NHS Kent and Medway, Dr James Thallon, said: "NHS Kent and Medway takes patient safety seriously and took immediate action to suspend Dr Zala as soon as the PCT was notified of the complaints, launched a major investigation and was able to successfully remove him from the Performers’ List."

A catalogue of abuse

One victim said she felt ‘like she had been raped’ after Dr Zala stroked her breasts and legs during an internal examination in the late 1980s.

Dr Zala told a woman in 1992: "While your’re here, let’s look at your breasts."

Another had her breasts examined after going to the doctor with a sore throat.

Two women seeking confirmation of their pregnancy had breast tests before the doctor even took a urine sample.