Sask. doctor loses licence for second time following misconduct investigation

A Prince Albert doctor lost his licence to practice for the second time, following an investigation by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan.

A Prince Albert doctor has lost his licence to practise for the second time, following an investigation by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Nigel Painter was found guilty of unprofessional conduct for inappropriately touching a patient and making a sexual comment during an encounter in 2021.

Following a disciplinary hearing the College revoked his licence in January.

“The Committee finds Dr. Painter’s conduct in the May 12 consult went well beyond any concept of “therapeutic touch”, and well beyond being mere errors in judgment," the Discipline committee decision read.

“During a consult with a highly vulnerable and emotional patient, he contacted her body in a sexualized way multiple times, and made a comment to her of a sexualized nature.”

The committee also found that during the May 12, 2021 consult Painter contacted the patient’s buttocks on more than one occasion in a sexual manner, placed his hand between the patient’s thighs, on or near her vagina, in a sexual manner, and made an inappropriate sexual comment to the patient “that she was making him naughty”.

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Painter denied ever grabbing or squeezing the patient’s buttocks, and said it was completely untrue.

He testified “he may have put his hand on Patient 1’s knee when reassuring her, but he did not and would not place his hands on her inner thighs. He denied ever touching Patient 1’s vagina.”

The committee also found that during the May 14, 2021 telephone call with the patient, who was his patient since 2011, Painter made a comment (“I’m ok with it if you’re ok with it,”) which referred to misconduct on May 12, and which sought patient’s approval of the misconduct.

According to the College, Painter will not be eligible to have his licence reinstated until he completes counselling for sexual abuse and regulators are satisfied that he’s been rehabilitated and no longer poses a risk to patients.

Painter has also been ordered to pay $84,000 to cover the costs of the investigation and disciplinary hearing.

This is not the first time Painter has faced professional sanctions. In 2014, the College suspended his licence for one year after he admitted to engaging in a sexual relationship with a patient.