A senior dentist tasked with monitoring professional standards has been suspended for six months for telling his colleagues he would never want to be treated by an African.
Rashpal Singh Mondair made the comments in August of 2018, during a meeting of the Professional Conduct Committee of the General Dental Council.
“This is going to sound racist, but…” he said before telling his peers he would not want to be treated by someone from Africa. He also offended “other continents or ethnic origins” in additional comments.
During a GDC disciplinary hearing, witnesses were “shocked” and “troubled” by what they heard. They described the moment that followed as a “short awkward silence.”
Mondair admitted to making the statement in the third person, contradictory to what the witnesses heard. He also said he had personally experienced instances of racism and considered “racism to be repugnant.”
The Committee agreed that his comments were “unprofessional, offensive, and racially motivated.”
In 2019, he was removed from his position as chair of the Professional Conduct Committee. Now he has been served with a six months suspension.
