An Estevan doctor's suspension is set to begin later this fall after he breached conditions for his practice.

Dr. Mehdi Horri will be suspended for two months beginning November 1st, according to a decision by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan.

They made the decision following a case back in April of what they called unprofessional conduct for having a professional encounter with a female patient without a female practice monitor present, as required by his undertaking.

Bryan Salte, associate registrar and legal counsel with the College details the decision by the Council.

"Council is required to determine the appropriate penalty when there's a finding or acknowledgment of unprofessional conduct. In this particular case, there were a few aspects to it. The primary aspect is that Doctor Horri is suspended for a period of two months starting on November 1st and continuing for the two months thereafter that. He also was required to pay the costs and will be subject to a reprimand. He'll have to appear before the council at a future date to receive that reprimand." 

While Salte was not present for the deliberations by the Council and therefore can't comment on those, he says that a breach of undertaking is considered a serious matter.

"In general terms, when a physician provides an undertaking to the college that they will do something or they won't do something and they breach that undertaking, that's regarded as a pretty serious matter. The reason that the college imposes these undertakings or entries into agreements with the positions to have those undertakings is to provide public protection based upon whatever the college's concerns are, and consequently, a breach of that is regarded quite seriously, I think, by our Council." 

Horri's previous record of suspensions in previous years may have also been a factor in his penalty.

"A physician has what's regarded as a mitigating factor that is a lesser penalty, which may be appropriate if they don't have any previous record of professional misconduct. If they do have a previous record of professional misconduct," said Salte, "Then they don't have the benefit of that mitigating factor. So a physician with a previous history of unprofessional conduct may well receive a somewhat harsher penalty than a physician who doesn't have that previous history." 

No changes will be made to Horri's undertaking once he returns from his suspension, with Salte saying that it's already very restrictive.

DiscoverEstevan reached out to the lawyer who represented Horri at his hearing, but did not hear back.

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