SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — A local doctor has been barred from treating female patients after two patients reported him for groping them during their visits.
The State Surgeon General issued an emergency restriction against Dr. Brij Bhushan Manohar Lal Rana on April 30, according to records from the Florida Department of Health.
Documents said the first complaint against Dr. Rana came in two years ago.
On April 18, 2018, the restriction order says that a patient visited Rana's office at Urgent Medical Care (UMC) in Live Oak. Nothing odd was noted in the visit until the end.
"At the conclusion of her visit with Dr. Rana, [the patient] prepared to exit," the order read. "While exiting, Dr. Rana put his left arm around [the patient], pulling her closer to him."
That's when documents say Dr. Rana "intentionally grabbed" the patient's breast. Shocked, the patient pushed him away and left.
After the incident, the order says that the patient reported the incident to her family and to the Live Oak Police Department.
The second complaint was filed against Dr. Rana in February of this year.
Documents say another female patient visited Dr. Rana at UMC on Feb. 10 for a routine examination. At the end of the examination, Dr. Rana discussed the examination with the patient, asked if she had any questions and reached out to shake her hand.
"While [the patient] shook Dr. Rana's hand, Dr. Rana used his left arm and pulled [the patient] closer to him, wrapping his left arm around [the patient's] back," the order read.
Dr. Rana then groped the patient, according to the emergency order. Fearful and angry, the patient moved his hand away and left the examination visibly upset but not before reporting the incident to a nurse at the front desk.
Later on, the patient also contacted the Live Oak Police Department to report the incident.
"Medical doctors are entrusted by the public to provide treatment to patients in a manner that is safe and to protect their patients from harm," the emergency order read. "Dr. Rana violated the trust that [the patients] placed in him by committing egregious acts of sexual misconduct."
Based on the evidence, the State Surgeon General has barred Dr. Rana from "treating and interacting with female patients."
A proceeding seeking formal discipline against Dr. Rana's license will be held at a later date, according to the emergency order. For now, Dr. Rana is allowed to continue practicing medicine.
