An Arkansas doctor’s licence was temporarily suspended after he was accused of having sex with a staff member while other employees watched and walking around the clinic naked.
The Arkansas State Medical Board issued an emergency order suspension last Wednesday that alleged Dr. David Diffine violated the state’s Medical Practices Act and board regulations.
The order accused Diffine, of Jonesboro, of engaging “in sexual contact, sexual relations, or romantic relationship with a patient,” reports ABC and NBC affiliate KAIT.
The medical board said it received a complaint, which included security camera video evidence, in July that alleged the physician “engaged in sexual contact with his staff, who are also his patients, and sexually harassed these same individuals.”
“Specifically, the video shows, among other things, Dr. Diffine performing a sexual act with a staff member while other staff members were present and watching,” the written order stated. “The video also shows Dr. Diffine walking throughout the clinic naked.”
The medical board said Diffine posed “an ongoing danger” to the community.
Dr. Bradley Diner, of the Arkansas Medical Foundation, viewed the footage and said a formal evaluation was needed.
“The perverse behaviour leads to concerns about a sexual compulsive disorder or paraphilia, which may in fact cross boundaries with his delivery of medical care,” Diner wrote, according to Memphis Fox affiliate WHBQ.
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“Simply, the interaction with his office staff suggest an entanglement in his medical practice.”
A hearing for Diffine is set for Dec. 6 to determine if he violated the Medical Practices Act and possibly suspend his licence to practise in the state.
According to KAIT, this is not the first time Diffine has had his licence temporarily suspended.
In 2017, he was accused of overprescribing an “excessive amount” of drugs to his patients, but the allegations were dismissed by the medical board after no proof was found.