A GP faces losing his job after asking a Muslim mum to take off her niqab because he was 'struggling to hear what she was saying' during an appointment.
Dr Keith Wolverson suggested the mother remove the veil covering her face as he had difficulty hearing her explain what was wrong with her child as they sat alone in a consulting room at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
The 52-year-old claimed he only politely asked her to take it off and that the woman 'willingly agreed to the request.'
However, after her husband arrived half an hour later, she complained to NHS bosses about the incident.
The couple then wrote to the General Medical Council (GMC) who will investigate Dr Wolverson for alleged discrimination, The Sun reports.
Outraged at the claims, Dr Wolverson insisted he was just trying to do his job properly.
He added: "I found it difficult to understand what the woman was saying behind her veil, so politely asked her to remove it. I needed to hear what was wrong with her daughter, so I could offer the safest possible care.
“I’m not racist. This is nothing to do with race, religion or skin colour – it’s about clarity of communication.
“I’ve treated many Muslim patients and never had a problem when I’ve asked women to remove their veil."
Dr Wolverson, who had been practising medicine for 23 years, also said many Muslim patients removed their veils as soon as they walked into the consulting room.
He added the allegations would destroy his career, saying 'It will ruin me'.
According to the complaints received by GMC, the mother said she felt 'victimised and racially discriminated' against during the consultation.
She said Dr Wolverson had demanded her to remove the veil, even though she refused to take it off due to religious reasons.
However, the GP said he would not continue the consultation until she removed her niqab, saying he was 'rude' and 'gave her a dirty look'.
Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramadhan Foundation said Dr Wolverson’s action was 'offensive', and said that a female member of staff could have been asked to help on that occasion.
Speaking to The Sun, he said that any 'stronger' sanction would be unfortunate, and insisted Dr Wolverson be put on a diversity awareness course to deter future incidents from happening again.
Joyce Robins, of Patient Concern, said losing a doctor over such an incident would be 'criminal.'
She told the The Sun: “A doctor needs to be sensitive to a patient’s religion but safety must always come first.”
A spokesman for The Doctors’ Association UK, told StokeonTrentLive: "It is of utmost importance that the religious wishes of our patients are respected. However, evidently there are some circumstances where removal of a niqab or burka is necessary for medical assessment and treatment.
"Regardless of whether this complaint is upheld, the General Medical Council should consider issuing clear guidelines to protect both doctors, and our patients.”
What is a niqab?
A niqab is an item of clothing that covers the face, worn by some Muslim woman as a part of a particular interpretation of hijab (modest dress).
According to the majority of Muslim scholars and Islamic schools of thought, face veiling is not a requirement of Islam.
However, a minority of Muslim scholars assert that women are required to cover their face in public.
Today, the niqab is most often worn in its region of origin including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. However, even in these countries, the niqab is neither a universal cultural custom nor is it culturally compulsory.
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