Christian GP ‘told patient to put faith in Jesus or suffer eternally’

Dr Richard Scott is alleged to have told the ”psychologically troubled” 24-year-old he was not going to offer him any medication but he did have a cure for the patient’s ills, the General Medical Council heard.

Andrew Hurst, counsel for the GMC claimed the medic then told the man, known only as patient A: ”He did have a cure, which would cure him for good. His one and only hope of recovery was through Jesus.

”If he did not turn to Jesus and hand him his suffering he would suffer for the rest of his life.”

The 51-year-old GP, who has worked as a medical missionary in Kenya and Africa, is also alleged to have talked about the ”devil” and ”belittled” his patient’s non-Christian faith, adding: ”No other religion in the world can offer what Jesus can offer.

”Unless he turned to Jesus he would eternally suffer.”

The alleged remarks were made at the end of a consultation at the Bethesda Medical Centre in Margate, Kent, in August 2010.

Dr Scott denies proselytising and disputes the account given by the patient, described by the GMC’s own lawyer as a man with a ”troubled psychological history”.

After discussing medical matters Dr Scott said, as a committed Christian, he simply offered the patient the chance to talk about the role faith may have in helping with his problems.

But the doctor also says the GMC has an ”anti-Christian bias” in pursuing the case against him.

Telegraph