A female doctor has been stripped of her medical license after having sex with an “emancipated” cancer patient in his hospital bed.
Dr. Theepa Sundaralingham, 37, began a flirtatious relationship with the man just a day after diagnosing him with cancer – giving him her personal phone number and Instagram handle.
Over the next few months she sent him frequent flirty messages, kickstarting an affair which eventually progressed from hugging and kissing to sex while he received treatment.
The oncologist, from Toronto, Canada, treated the man man 23 times between January and July 2015 and once in 2016.
An official statement said Sundaralingam “repeatedly asked Patient A to delete their texts and keep their relationship a secret, as she was concerned the college would become aware of their sexual and inappropriate relationship”.
The “abused” patient, who cannot be named, said: “It’s difficult for me to talk to anybody about it because the reality is that I’m a male so for me to say, ‘Hey, I dated my oncologist,’ it wouldn’t be a surprise for someone to say ‘Cool.’ But that’s not cool.
“That’s not the case because I feel abused, and it’s very difficult as a male to come out and say that about a female. It’s usually the other way around.
“I was physically emaciated and emotionally exposed and the loss of a critical relationship defeated me.
“What compounded this toll was her refusal to continue providing medical care at the same time.
“I was unable to see the ramifications of dating my treating oncologist. I couldn’t see how vulnerable I was and how much power she had over me.”
Sundaralingham has since lost her license after being found guilty of sexually abusing the patient.
She must also pay $16,000 to cover patient therapy costs and an additional $6,000 to cover the discipline hearing costs.
