'Alarm' airport doctor struck off

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A doctor who boarded a plane in protective goggles, overalls, gloves and overshoes, alarming passengers over the Sars virus, has been struck off.

The General Medical Council had found Dr Egidius Panis guilty of inappropriate conduct, and suspended his registration with immediate effect.

The 49-year-old, of Barming, Kent, boarded the plane from Hong Kong to diagnose a man with a sneeze and cough.

His actions in 2003 at Heathrow came at a time of public concern over Sars.

Dr Panis, a Dutch national, was a senior clinical medical health officer at the airport's health control unit at the time.

Tsunami coffins

He had already been told the man did not have a temperature and was breathing normally, the General Medical Council's fitness to practise panel was told.

He was found guilty of inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour and conduct likely to cause "alarm and fear" to the passengers.

The panel ruled it was likely passengers would have been alarmed at the sight of a doctor in full protective gear.

Dr Panis was also found guilty of other charges of inappropriate conduct between 1997 and 2005.

Concerns were raised among Metropolitan Police officers when he advised them to wear gloves and gowns when attaching identification tags to coffins from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.