EXCLUSIVE: GP who heads newly outlawed Islamist group ‘suspended’ by NHS England
Dr Wahid Shaida, who still retains his licence to practise from the General Medical Council, is the UK head of Hizb ut-Tahrir
NHS England has confirmed that the Harrow GP who heads the UK branch of newly banned Islamist terror group Hizb ut-Tahrir has been suspended.
As reported by Jewish News, Dr Wahid Shaida, who also uses the name Abdul Wahid, was GB chair of the group, which the government officially outlawed last week.
On 15 January, home secretary James Cleverly moved to proscribe the group, which he called “antisemitic” and warned it “promotes and encourages terrorism”, by putting an order before parliament which made joining the organisation illegal in the UK under terror laws.
The UK branch of Hizb ut-Tahrir was banned on 19 January. Its website has been taken down. All that remains is a statement claiming that “a legal challenge is proceeding”.
In a statement today seen by Jewish News, an NHS London spokesperson said:
“We take any issues relating to professional conduct seriously and have procedures in place to make sure that individuals are fit to work in the NHS. We can confirm that Dr Wahid Shaida has been suspended from the NHS primary care performers list.”
Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the UK branch of Hizb ut-Tahrir organised rallies on the streets of London alongside pro-Palestine marches. A Hizb ut-Tahrir member could be seen shouting “Jihad” in a video from an October march, but the Metropolitan Police said no offences were identified.
In December Shaida, who trains trainee GPs, described Hamas as a ‘resistance’ group and called the 7 October terror attacks “a very welcome punch on the nose” on Piers Morgan’s Talk TV show.
As reported by Jewish News, the GMC (General Medical Council) was urged to suspend Shaida following widespread concerns over his links to Hizb ut-Tahrir, which has also been banned in many Arab nations, as well as in Germany and China.
In an updated statement on Tuesday, a GMC spokesperson told Jewish News: “As we have outlined previously, we are only able to confirm the publicly available information about individual doctors as it appears on the medical register.
“However, I thought it would be helpful to clarify that the GMC investigates concerns about doctors and if appropriate, refers them to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS). The MPTS is independent of the GMC and they will make the decision about whether a doctor’s fitness to practise is impaired and if so the sanction. The MPTS is separate to the GMC’s investigatory role.
“We cannot confirm whether we are investigating a doctor unless they have been interim suspended or have interim conditions following a hearing of the Interim Orders Tribunal (IOT) at the MPTS.
“We can and will investigate serious concerns that suggest patient safety or the public’s confidence in doctors may be at risk and will take action where it is necessary.”
A local doctor speaking to Jewish News on condition of anonymity said: “It’s vital that NHS England and the General Medical Council (GMC) investigate their management of the case of this doctor, who whilst working as an NHS GP for decades has also for the last approximately 10 years been openly leading a recently proscribed terror group, which has already been banned in other countries.
“Despite grave safeguarding concerns raised regarding the wellbeing and safety of staff, patients and the public, and notwithstanding the statutory Prevent Duty to combat terrorism in healthcare, he remains a fully registered GMC doctor and GP trainer with a licence to practise.
“Wahid Shaida aka Abdul Wahid’s suspension as a doctor by the NHS should have been effected when he first began to lead a terror organisation, and certainly on the 15.1.24 when the Home Secretary presented a draft order for the organisation to be proscribed.
“The delay in this action must be thoroughly investigated as a serious incident by the NHS and GMC without further delay to restore the public’s confidence in the medical profession, and to ensure that any other extremists working in healthcare are not emboldened to engage in hate speech and incite hate crime, including terrorism, both within and beyond healthcare settings.”
The GP Direct website still lists Dr Wahid Shaida as “a salaried GP” at his practice since 2002. It says his “special interests lie in the field of medical education. He is a GP trainer for recently qualified doctors. He is currently the information governance and complaints lead within the practice.”
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