Doctor who removed ovaries faces fresh tribunal

A doctor who admitted removing two women's ovaries without their consent is to face a fresh medical tribunal after a High Court judge ruled that parts of an earlier decision in his case were "wrong or unjust".

Ali Shokouh-Amiri, a consultant gynaecologist who previously worked at Guernsey's Princess Elizabeth Hospital, was found guilty of misconduct by a Medical Practitioners Tribunal in February 2025 and given a warning. But the panel concluded that his fitness to practise was not impaired.

The General Medical Council challenged that outcome in the High Court.

After hearing the appeal, Mr Justice Morris found that the tribunal had made errors in relation to five groups of allegations.

Morris said the case should return to a new tribunal to reconsider those matters and decide again whether Shokouh-Amiri's fitness to practise is impaired.

The case centred on a series of allegations involving patients he treated in Guernsey between 2016 and 2019.

Shokouh-Amiri admitted removing the ovaries of two women without consent, including one case where there was no identified medical need for the procedure. The tribunal also found proved allegations that he hugged and kissed a patient and suggested another should join him at the gym.

While the tribunal ruled that the ovary removals and gym comment amounted to misconduct, it decided there was a low risk of patients being exposed to unwarranted harm and allowed him to continue practising.

In a 70-page ruling, the High Court judge said the tribunal's reasoning was "at times very brief and at other times makes little sense".

He added that the tribunal, "at various points, made clear errors of fact, failed to consider important evidence",.

He said it also did not explain why it did not believe one patient's evidence, and "made statements which contradicted the evidence, and at times statements which did not make sense".

The GMC said it welcomed the judge's decision.

"The court agreed that the tribunal made errors when considering the very serious allegations against Dr Ali Shokouh-Amiri, with the judgment noting that at various points, clear errors of fact were made and the tribunal failed to consider important evidence," said a spokesperson.

"We will continue to challenge tribunal decisions where we believe the outcome is insufficient to protect the public."

Dr Shokouh-Amiri currently works as a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

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