A doctor who asked a Muslim patient to remove her niqab so he could better hear her now faces an internal review and potential termination for alleged discrimination. A petition has been created to support the British physician.
Dr. Keith Wolverson, who has been practicing medicine for 23 years, may lose his job at Stoke University Hospital after he asked a woman, who had brought her sick daughter to the hospital, to remove her face veil so he could better hear what she was saying. Wolverson told the Daily Mail that the woman “willingly” complied with his request, but that her husband later found out and filed a complaint.
“I'm not racist, this has nothing to do with race, religion or skin colour,” he told the paper, adding: “I've treated women in the past who have worn similar veils but on those occasions I've never had to ask them to remove it – they just did.”
Also on rt.com Symbol of oppression? Austria bans headscarves in primary schools sparking criticism on social mediaThe formal complaint against Wolverson alleges that the woman did not want to remove the veil on religious grounds, but the doctor would not continue the consultation if she refused.
Wolverson reportedly hasn’t been allowed to work since the complaint was made, and could face termination over the incident.
The case has enraged the Twitterati, many of whom said that Wolverson was a victim of political correctness gone mad.
Others expressed exasperation over how unfairly the doctor was being treated.
“Shocking that a man who has dedicated his career to help others is now being persecuted for wanting to understand her daughter's symptons so he could treat her safely and correctly. Why didn't the dad who was [at] home bring his daughter instead!” commented one outraged netizen.
The bizarre case has even inspired a petition to block Wolverson’s potential sacking.
“We need to ensure the General Medical Council treat this man fairly and look at all the evidence,” the Change.org petition reads. “Our NHS is severely understaffed and we cannot afford to lose doctors due to fabricated accusations of discrimination.”
As of Monday, the petition had more than 5,300 signatures.
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