Hamilton doctor whose criminal charges were missing from doctors’ registry now on leave

A Hamilton cardiologist facing domestic violence-related charges is on leave from his job at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) and from his teaching position at McMaster University, The Spectator has learned.

Dr. Amin Mulji faces a number of charges including sexual assault, assault causing bodily harm and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. The charges were laid in 2018 for alleged offences dating back decades. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Neither Mulji nor his lawyers have responded to multiple requests for comment.

In January, The Spectator reported that a number of charges were missing from Mulji's College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) profile, despite physicians being required to report charges, and the commitment by the physician watchdog to make the charges public. Just two of the 10 charges were posted, with the CPSO nothing that one charge - uttering a threat to cause death or bodily harm - was reported by the member," Mulji.

The CPSO said it was unaware of the years-old charges and that it was The Spectator that alerted them.

The missing charges were added to Mulji's member profile Tuesday.

On Thursday, HHS spokesperson Wendy Stewart said: Dr. Mulji is on a leave of absence from his HHS work and HHS has commenced a formal investigation.

It is a voluntary leave and he is not receiving any compensation from HHS," Stewart said. We are unable to share further information while this matter is investigated."

Last week, HHS said it was working to determine if any action is required" after learning of new criminal charges."

Mulji is also now on leave from McMaster, where he is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Medicine. Previously, the university would only say that the charges were not related to the university.

On Wednesday, McMaster spokesperson Wade Hemsworth added: Dr. Mulji is on administrative leave." No additional details were provided.

McMaster has said it relies on the CPSO to tell the university when physician faculty are facing charges. The CPSO has said it alerts hospitals when physician staff are facing charges.

The CPSO is responsible for posting the information regarding its members and it is good that the information is now updated," Hemsworth told The Spectator.

Under the Registered Health Professions Act (RHPA), physicians are required to report criminal charges to their medical regulatory body. The act states members must report charges as soon as reasonably practicable."

Failure to do so could result in an act of professional misconduct. The CPSO would not confirm if they have spoken to Mulji about the matter or will be following up. The college will also not confirm he did not report the charges to them.

CPSO spokesperson Shae Greenfield said the RHPA generally prohibits health regulatory colleges from disclosing the existence of an investigation. As previously indicated, though, the College began to review this matter once we were made aware of it."

Arthur Schafer, a bioethics expert at the University of Manitoba, said the CPSO has a fundamental obligation" to protect patients.

No organization is perfect. All make mistakes. But when the CPSO fails adequately to protect Ontario patients then they have an additional obligation to investigate what went wrong and to explain to the public the steps they've taken to do a better job in future," Schafer said.

The people of Ontario are entitled to know what went wrong in the Mulji case. They are also entitled to know that the CPSO takes seriously its duty to protect patients and has taken steps to ensure that standards will be upheld in the future."

Mulji's next court date is April 20, 2022.

Katrina Clarke is a reporter at The Spectator. katrinaclarke@thespec.com