Ofcom dismisses NHS doctor's case against Geo News over story on Begum Kulsoom's attempted room entry

LONDON: Britain’s media regulator Ofcom has dismissed a complaint against Geo News in the UK by British-Pakistani National Health Service (NHS) physician Dr Naveed Farooq, who was caught trying to sneak into Begum Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif’s Harley Street clinic room where she was getting treatment for cancer.

Geo News, like all other news channels, had reported on the story of Dr Farooq’s expulsion and his media talk but he complained against Geo News reporting, alleging he was treated unfairly.

Dr Farooq complained that he was treated unjustly or unfairly in the programmes as broadcast because he was labelled falsely as a “suspect, criminal and an intruder”.

Dr Farooq said that while he had attended the hospital room of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's wife, he had done so in order to “pay my respects to the family”.

He said that he had not used his doctor’s NHS identification inappropriately as alleged, and that no criminal charges had

been brought against him or warnings or cautions were given to him over the incident by the police or the General Medical Council (GMC), and he continued to work at the same hospital.

Dr Farooq said that the programmes had “severely damaged, distorted and tarnished his reputation”.

Geo News said that Dr Farooq was not authorised by the Nawaz Sharif family or the hospital to enter the healthcare fascility, or the room of Begum Kulsoom.

It said that the interview with Hussain Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif’s son, made this abundantly clear. The broadcaster said that Dr Farooq admitted that he had been escorted out of the hospital by security who said his entry was unauthorised. The broadcaster said that the fact that an unauthorised person had tried to enter the hospital and Begum Kulsoom’s room was an important matter of great interest to Pakistani people in the UK and elsewhere.

Ofcom ruled that regardless of what Dr Farooq said that his motivation was for visiting the hospital, given the factors from Dr Farooq’s own account of events, it appeared to us that “he had knowingly entered the hospital room of a patient who he had no responsibility for as a doctor or any personal connection with. Also, he had allowed hospital staff to believe that he was a legitimate visitor, and had discussed Begum Kulsoom’s medical care with her doctor. It was on this basis that Ofcom took the view that material facts were not presented, disregarded or omitted in the programme in a way that was unfair to Dr Farooq”.

Ofcom ruling said that Geo News took “reasonable care to satisfy itself that material facts were not presented, disregarded or omitted in the programme in a way that resulted in unfairness to Dr Farooq” and “Dr Farooq’s complaint of unjust or unfair treatment in the programme as broadcast should not be upheld”.

On 16 June 2018, the police interviewed and let go Dr Farooq who was caught attempting to enter Begum Kulsoom's private room in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Harley Street clinic, warning him against going near anyone in the private hospital.

Dr Farooq, the Harley Street staff said, showed his NHS card to the security and passed off as a doctor. He used his card to gain entry to the floor where Kulsoom Nawaz was staying, as security at these hospitals doesn’t stop anyone carrying the NHS identity. The incident happened on the first floor of the London hospital.

Hussain, in a statement soon after the incident, said the police took the suspect out of Begum Kulsoom's ward.

He said that his family was already worried and the suspect caused further distress to them. "This man [Dr Naveed Farooq] fooled the security, posed as a doctor and managed to reach Begum Kulsoom's room. This is shocking. My mum is unconscious. Actions of Dr Naveed Farooq have caused us distress. He must be investigated," Hussain said.

Police sources confirmed to Geo News that Dr Farooq, a resident of Redbridge borough in East London and a doctor at a local hospital, was interviewed and cautioned with the warning not to repeat his actions or face severe action for breach of privacy of patients, trespass and unauthorised access.

Videos found on his phone were made inside the clinic and the matter would be reported to the GMC which regulates doctors, the sources said. The police also recovered videos of the hospital from his mobile phone. They further said that Dr Farooq had been told not to go near anyone from the Sharif family or he would be prosecuted. The Harley Street Clinic also said that it was taking up the issue with the GMC.

Dr Farooq told the media outside: “You need to listen to my side of the story. It's Eid day. I wanted to pay a visit to her as she has been in a life-threatening situation. I wanted to pay her respects. I introduced myself as Dr Naveed and I introduced myself as a doctor I can confirm that. I had also met Naeem Bukhari when he was hospitalised. It was the duty of the security to stop me but they didn’t stop me. They should have stopped me but let me pass through the security barriers. I meant no harm to Begum Kulsoom Nawaz.”

Dr Farooq is the nephew of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's leader from Rawalpindi Chaudhry Asghar, and also a nephew of Dr Afzal, a London NHS surgeon who used to be the office holder of the PTI. His video went viral in 2018 when he claimed from Harley Street that Kulsoom Nawaz was not ill and was just pretending to be ill by getting herself admitted to the hospital. Dr Afzal had also claimed that the hospital itself was fake and was owned by the Sharif family.