A St. Albert doctor who is facing charges of sexual interference and sexual assault of a minor has now been suspended from practising medicine.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) announced on Tuesday the suspension of Dr. Ramneek Kumar, following a review of the criminal charges against him. Kumar formerly worked at the Rivercrest Medical Clinic but has not practised there since March 20.
“As Alberta’s medical regulator, our first priority is to protect the public,” CPSA Registrar Dr. Scott McLeod said in a media release. “CPSA followed appropriate process and protocols to use the Health Professions Act’s full authority to suspend his practice permit.”
The CPSA states that while the charges have yet to be proven in court, the regulatory authority didn’t believe it was appropriate for Kumar to practise medicine while these legal proceedings were happening.
On April 2, the CPSA allowed Kumar to continue practising medicine while under the supervision of a chaperone. Further action was taken against Kumar on May 13 when the CPSA decided to suspend him, pending the resolution of the criminal charges and any CPSA disciplinary processes.
Kumar has the right to appeal any practice permit suspension to the Court of Appeal of Alberta.
The charges against Kumar stem from an incident at the Waterton Lakes National Park that happened in August 2015 and allegedly involved an eight-year-old girl, who was not his patient, according to a CBC report.
The pediatrician is facing two counts of sexual contact with a child and one count of sexual assault.
A Pincher Creek judge released Kumar on bail in April. One condition of his release is that he is not allowed to be alone in the presence of anyone under the age of 16.
Kumar's next appearance is slated for June 4 at 10 a.m. at the Pincher Creek Provincial Court.
