Dermatologist gets 15 Day Suspension for Refusing to Treat 200 Torrevieja Hospital Patients, some with Cancer

A dermatologist at Torrevieja Hospital has been suspended for 15 days without pay after repeatedly refusing to treat patients, some of whom have cancer. The High Court of Justice in the Valencian Community upheld this decision, rejecting the doctor's appeal against a previous ruling. The suspension was imposed by the Valencian Health Department in June 2023, following 47 complaints received by the hospital's Patient Information and Assistance Service between January and March 2023.

These complaints alleged that the doctor unjustly rejected requests for specialist consultations made by primary care doctors and other hospital departments, as well as claims of inappropriate or degrading treatment of patients. The disciplinary file included cases involving serious conditions such as bleeding skin lesions, pustular psoriasis, rapidly developing tumours, and nodular melanoma.

Despite the doctor's claims that the allegations had not been proven and that the disciplinary proceedings breached his right to judicial protection, the High Court ruled that the documentary evidence was credible and that the doctor had not fulfilled his responsibilities as a specialist in the position he held. The court acknowledged that the repeated rejection of specialist-care requests had impacted patients' right to receive appropriate treatment in a timely and professional manner.