Doctor Keith Wolverson, age 52, is under investigation for asking a Muslim woman to lift her veil, and has expressed his gratitude to the many people who have offered him their support in numerous messages, reports the Daily Mail.
An online petition was started Sunday calling for Dr. Wolverson not to be to “fired” and for the GMC to “treat this man fairly and look at all the evidence”.
Since the incident at Royal Stoke University Hospital last June, Wolverson has been unable to work there, and has even been thinking of giving up medicine.
“Unfortunately I’m not able to work at the moment as I’m a locum (substitute) GP and no-one will employ you while you’re under investigation by the GMC,” he said.
“I feel I’ve been left with no alternative but to look at doing something else.”
“I’ve received a lot of messages of support since announcing my decision, which is a comfort. People have been almost unequivocal in backing me,” the Daily Mail quoted the doctor as saying.
In the incident at a walk-in centre, Dr. Wolverson had asked the woman “politely” to remove her traditional Muslim face covering since he was finding it difficult to understand what she was saying about her sick daughter.
The woman had brought her child, aged 10 or 11, to see him, fearing she had tonsillitis.
He later claimed she had not objected at the time to his request.
Shortly afterwards her husband arrived and declared he was making a complaint about the GP’s behaviour.
According to the complaint, the woman is said to have told the doctor she did not want to remove the veil on religious grounds.
Wolverson has denied the claims that he allegedly refused to continue the consultation unless she took of the niqab.
The locum GP was shocked to receive a letter from the General Medical Council, a UK regulatory body, informing him that he was being investigated over allegations of racial discrimination which could result in him losing his job.
The GMC regulator said it never confirmed whether doctors were under investigation unless they were given conditions or suspended, neither of which has happened to Dr. Wolverson yet.
Keith Wolverson says since being “forced out”, he has been finding it hard to find employment, and was mulling quitting medicine to retrain as a cosmetic practitioner.