Poulsbo doctor accused of abuse, sexual misconduct
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POULSBO, Wash. -- A Poulsbo doctor is facing accusations of abuse and sexual misconduct with patients, and the Department of Health is already taking action.
Six of Dr. Narinder Duggal's patients have come forward with similar complaints. They accuse Duggal of either over-prescribing or misprescribing medication, and some even say they got worse after seeing the doctor.
Duggal's website describes his practice as Kitsap County's premier center for medical and pharmacology excellence. But a 32 page statement of charges filed against him by the Department of Health raises serious questions about how he treated six patients.
He's accused of violating the standard of care, including everything from allegedly not checking a patient's medical history to prescribing opiates without a specific diagnosis. One complainant said Duggal over prescribed painkillers and sleeping pills, which the patient soon became addicted to.
Duggal refused KOMO's interview request, but several of his current patients spoke out on his behalf.
"He's helped me out a great deal with the ailments that I have," said a man named Don, who said Duggal has been his doctor for 10 years.
Don said Duggal is actually conservative when it comes to prescribing medication. Another patient, named Lynne, said she couldn't believe the accusations.
"I'm shocked," she said. "I think they're crazy."
The Department of Health's Medical Quality Assurance Commission stands by the allegations, which also include sex-related claims.
One patient said Duggal forced his tongue down her throat while placing his hand on her breasts. Another patient told investigators she had sex with Duggal at his home
While the case plays out, four current patients say despite the allegations against him, they're going to stick with Duggal.
"I don't believe it because he has been good doctor. I like him," said a patient named Rosalina.
The charges against Duggal are not criminal. The investigation is a discipline-related matter and the state says Duggal cooperated with its investigation.
He has not yet responded to the statement of charges, and he will have 20 days to file a former answer and request a hearing to defend himself.
Six of Dr. Narinder Duggal's patients have come forward with similar complaints. They accuse Duggal of either over-prescribing or misprescribing medication, and some even say they got worse after seeing the doctor.
Duggal's website describes his practice as Kitsap County's premier center for medical and pharmacology excellence. But a 32 page statement of charges filed against him by the Department of Health raises serious questions about how he treated six patients.
He's accused of violating the standard of care, including everything from allegedly not checking a patient's medical history to prescribing opiates without a specific diagnosis. One complainant said Duggal over prescribed painkillers and sleeping pills, which the patient soon became addicted to.
Duggal refused KOMO's interview request, but several of his current patients spoke out on his behalf.
"He's helped me out a great deal with the ailments that I have," said a man named Don, who said Duggal has been his doctor for 10 years.
Don said Duggal is actually conservative when it comes to prescribing medication. Another patient, named Lynne, said she couldn't believe the accusations.
"I'm shocked," she said. "I think they're crazy."
The Department of Health's Medical Quality Assurance Commission stands by the allegations, which also include sex-related claims.
One patient said Duggal forced his tongue down her throat while placing his hand on her breasts. Another patient told investigators she had sex with Duggal at his home
While the case plays out, four current patients say despite the allegations against him, they're going to stick with Duggal.
"I don't believe it because he has been good doctor. I like him," said a patient named Rosalina.
The charges against Duggal are not criminal. The investigation is a discipline-related matter and the state says Duggal cooperated with its investigation.
He has not yet responded to the statement of charges, and he will have 20 days to file a former answer and request a hearing to defend himself.
@aj1000I had the same experience with him. Every time I went to see him, I waited 30-45 minutes for a five minute visit. He never looked at me either, and his body language said he was annoyed that I was even there. He sat in the chair with his back to me and typed on the computer briefly. He asked me what I needed refilled and I would tell him then I would tell him about having shortness of breath. He would place the stethoscope on my chest and he listened only for 1 breath at one location. Finally after several monthly visits to the office they did a pulmonary test. He told me the results were fine. After a few more months I saw a Pulmonologist who put me on oxygen immediately 2L, and sent me for a scan. I had cancer, still do, I'm fighting it with chemo and radiation. Later I asked the person who gave me the Pulmonary test how the results could be "Fine" when I had cancer? She said that the results were not fine they were "Horrible." I got screwed by Duggal and he did it without even dinner and a movie!!!! Warning: careful who you trust.
http://www.northkitsapherald.com/news/189723801.htmlÂ
I thought in the U.S.A. you are innocent until proven guilty. Not so, you have to prove your innocent first. I have been a patient of Dr. Duggals for nine years now. He has always been compassionate, proffessional and never made any sexual advances toward me. If you are given any type of medication it is your responsibility to take that medication exactly as prescribed. You cannot blame a Dr. for what a patient decides to do once they have recievced it. If they take the whole bottle do you blame the Dr? You are given a pain contract and told that if you violate any of the rules then you will be dismissed and will have to find another Dr. Patients are also responsible for their care and need to talk to the Dr. if they feel they are either not getting enough pain relief or the amount is to much. Anyone is capable of doing things that we would not consider possible for them. This Dr. gave me back my life, made sure everything possible was done before prescribing meds. Everyone is different, someone may need a different amount or different medication depending upon the circumstances. We all need to be responsible for our health care and speak with our Drs. about any concerns we have regarding our care. I think Dr. Duggal is a very caring and compassionate Dr. and I will continue to support him and be his patient.
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Dr. Duggal has been my husbands and my doctor for some time now and he has always conducted himself in a very professional manor, we do not believe one word of these allagations!!!! we will continue being his patients and will support him and his staff any way we can!!Â
 @Sherry Caldwell right.... because your husband doesn't do it for Dr. Duggal.  Are you not paying attention?  Your husband is probably not a young vulnerable person dependent on pain medication, which is a money maker for doctors like Duggal.
Duggal helped me kick my habit.
I agree that Dr. Duggal needs to work on making his patients wait but I don't necessarily consider it as a mark against him because most Doctors don't dedicate enough of their time making the correct diagnosis. He really helped me. I went to him with chronic pain and he tried several alternative treatments before prescribing painkillers and even then I use natural medicine as well and had to sign a pain management contract and was carefully monitored.
Sounds like girlgoil is starved for attention. Just because the people Dr. Duggal has helped are standing up for his reputation doesn't mean you need to slander them.
i have been going to Dr. Duggal for  years and have been been happy with his treatment and have never been
over-prescribed for medications.
 My only complaint is that he over books appointments and makes you wait 30-45 minutes or more past your appointment time,which i believe the driving force is money!!!
 What i think Dr. Duggal needs to figure out is his patients are whats paying his bills and their time is also valuable.
So with that said i will be taking my medical needs else where,not because of the allegations against him,which are hard to believe but for the fact that i am tired of being 15 minutes early for an appointment and Dr Duggal not
seeing me anywhere close to my appointment time.
I've known this man both personally and professionally for many years and can concur that these allegations are true.  Just because it hasn't happened to you, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.  He conducts himself in a very unprofessional and inappropriate manner with many of his colleagues, patients, and employees, but of course not all of them.  As for the over-prescribing of medications, this is something that has been going on for years.  I don't believe he has any malicious intent in this regard towards the patients, money is probably more of the driving factor here.Â
Dr Duggal has been my MD for many years and I cannot imagine treating with another MD. He is so maticulious about my health care needs, always documents the visits and gives me a copy when I leave. He reviews my meds and updates my list and if I am taking them as prescribed. He is intelligent, thoughtful, professional and boundry defining. Perhaps, some who do not value those same perimeters might say and do things that are unethical especially if they smell money like those jumping on board now. If they had a real complaint, what was stopping them a week ago from saying something? Anyone with a omplaint could have called an attorney or the medical board and been heard. This is so sad that a good doctor has to endure this kind of public abuse.
Hmmm. The Kitsap newspapers have buried this or not printed it at all. This practice advertises heavily in those publications. Thank you, KOMO.Â
not true. Â kitsap sun is running it.
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 @cmorse236 sounds like you are on a lot of drugs.  and maybe he has a nurse come in  when he performs exams on you because you are different.  a male doctor having a female nurse sit in on an exam of a female patient is not the norm.  Or it's possible that you are dating him and are upset at the accusations?  either way, just because you claim to have had a good experience with him doesn't mean that he isn't capable of doing what he is accused of doing.  it also might be the case that you aren't his type.
Why are you so upset over some the comments made by his patients? Have you even seen this Dr. before? Stop acting as if you are better then the people who are commenting on here. Like stating you must be on alot of drugs. It is obvious that you have no idea what it is like to be in pain twenty four hrs. a day. Pain medication is something most people do not like having to take, it is something that allows those of us to maintain some sort of life so we can continue to work, play with our children, basicly have some quality of life.
 @girlgoil  @cmorse236 yes it is the norm for a nurse to be in the office wihile the dr examines a female patient.
It really is normal for a Dr. to have other staff in the room while seeing a patient. This is done to protect the Dr. from accusations that someone might claim that the Dr. made some sort of advances towards them or did something inappropreiate. It is done for their protection. I have seen Drs. for physicals and they have all had another staff member in the room with them.
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 @Sherry Caldwell  @cmorse236 no it is not. show proof.  RCW?  WAC?  some law you know about that we don't? Â
I have been a patient of Dr. Duggals for a long time now and I have never had any problems with him. On the contrary I've had problems with other doctors and finding him was a blessing. Also I am a younger female and he has never taken advantage of me. In fact he makes a point of always calling a female nurse in to observe if he has to perform an examination of any kind. Also he performs allot of due diligence in his drug testing making sure his patients are taking the right levels of medications and makes you fill out several other tests at each appt. to help measure your possibility of abuse and depression and it is all really well documented. I think this is a witch hunt and that there is a huge possibility that some of his patients got mad when he wouldn't over prescribe and decided to screw him over.
 @tivoli8484 maybe you aren't his type.  because you are a young female doesn't mean you are attractive or his type.  i suspect you are an employee posing as a patient, or you are the doc himself.  why is your post almost identical to cmorse236 above and posted at the same time?
I do not believe this is anyone on his staff, all patients are required to fill out the questions at every app. and given a drug screen to ensure that the medication is being taken properly. You have alot of anger towards this Dr. and everyone thats states they have had positive experiences with him. I know how much is done before you can see him. It is a possibility that the patient who stated she had sex with him may have been trying to black male him for more medication and he refused. That may be the reason she waited so long to go to the state to turn him in. You don't know, so don't sit and accuse people of being one of the Drs.staff just because they don't have the same point of view as you!!
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@girlgoil @tivoli8484 Really, nothing you are saying makes any sense. Your English is horrible as well as your grammer. You have no idea what you are talking about because if a reputable MD does an exam on a female patient a nurse should be in the room. Calling you names would reduce me to your level and I will not even consider going that low. To others...Dr Duggal is well aware of all the laws pertaining to pain meds and I would guess most of his patients are on contracts to prevent abuse and increase compliance. And I would guess he does not have to pick up patients for dates or anything else; in or out of the office though I can imagine some might regret that. I am a patient who respects and values his medical and professional expertise.
@girlgoil @natsharudy personally, I think girlgoil is demeaning, degrading and downright rude. have you been his patient? No one said that it was a law when they were talking about the female being in the exam room.... IT IS STANDARD to have a "Chaperone" in there for and exam.. It even happens sometimes for male patients whether the doctor is male or female.. He may not be a gynocologist, he is an internist and general doctor and specialist.. There are times when a gown and exam may be needed and then there would be a chaperone.. Get real girlgoil. Why be so condescending?
 He is an internal medicine Dr. so he does do some checking to make sure your heart, lungs, glands etc. are working properly. He also gives injections to help with the pain, so depending upon where your pain is located then you may have to lift up your shirt or pull your pants down somewhat to recieve an injection or check for problems that you have told him about. Like I stated above alot of Drs. do have a staff member in the room to prevent any kind of acccusations that may occur such has the one facing Dr. Duggal now. I could say that a Dr. touched me in an inappropreiate manner and it would then be my word against the Dr. This way the Dr. is better protected as is the patient. It's a win, win situation for both parties.
 @natsharudy  if you stooped lower than intended, than you are not in control of your faculties so I suggest you seek medical attention..  it could be that you are in the beginning stages of losing your mind.  perhaps Duggal could medicate you appropriately (in his mind)  good luck.
 @Sherry Caldwell what you believe is irrelevant.  the law is the law.  show me the law and I will gladly subscribe to your view.  by the way, what do you mean by "exam"?  Dr. Duggal is not a gynecologist so what is he doing to you that you need protection from?
 @girlgoil at every one of my appointments when a male dr examed me a female nurse is always in the room! it is for both the dr and the patients benefit and i believe the law!
natsharudy - Â where are you getting your information? Â your comment, "Â if a reputable MD does an exam on a female patient a nurse should be in the room" Â My husband gets his physical every year by his female doctor and she doesn't have a male nurse sit in. Â Doctors are in a position of trust. Â The only reason a female nurse would be required to sit in on an exam where a male doctor is examining a female patient would be if that female patient doesn't trust the doctor. Â
KOMO does an incredibly good job of posting the weirdest and creepiest photos of people it can get its hands on.
"Former answer?"
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I think you mean "formal" answer there KOMO....
I have heard something about this doctor just from gossip around town, I was looking for a new doctor for my husband and 3 different people told me that if you bring 300 bucks he will prescribe you anything you want and that he is wildly inappropriate with his female patients.Â
@MENelsen This is true. I went to him a couple of years ago for awhile and had to pay $300 for my initial visit. Every time I went to see him, I waited at least 45 minutes for him, and when he finally did show up he never looked at me, just had his back to me facing the computer typing away (who know what he was typing). He would just ask me what I wanted and suggest more drugs. I went to him for pain management, and I just got worse. I would never recommend Dr. Duggal to anyone, he is a jerk and has no people skills! By the way, if you have a dependancy problem to pain killers, don't go see him, he'll just give you more. Ya, that's the answer.
@aj1000 Most people have to pay that if they are cash payers.. Did you have insurance? If it was for suboxone it was an administrative fee. Why do you all feel you need to be so damming.. YOU Chose to go there, YOU chose to go and get meds from him, whether the gossip said you could get what you want or not.. YOU went...Seems to me, you shouldnt have gotten yourself into a predicament where you needed him in the first place .
 @MENelsen that is not true!!! gossip is just gossip, he does not prescribe just anything to anyone and is not inappropriate with female patients! dont believe everything you hear! i am a patient of his and he is always concerned for my well being and has always conducted himself in a professional mannor!
 @Sherry Caldwell Sherry - to your comment:  that is not true!!! ----how do you know that is not true? Â
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gossip is just gossip
----And sometimes "gossip" is true.
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he does not prescribe just anything to anyone
----how do you know this? Â have you asked for drugs and he denied you? Â seriously how do you know this?
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and is not inappropriate with female patients!
nobody said he was inappropriate with female patients. Â Just female patients he is attracted to. Â So maybe you are not his type.
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dont believe everything you hear!
----well said, as I am sure almost nobody is believing what you are saying.
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i am a patient of his and he is always concerned for my well being and has always conducted himself in a professional mannor!
---good for your, glad to hear you haven't been abused (in your opinion) by Dr. Duggal, but if you know anything about logic, you know that the fact he hasn't abused you doesn't mean he hasn't abused others. Â How do serial killers live in society undetected? Â because they are great at "acting" as great people. Â stop, think, listen.Â
Something just doesn't sit right with me about this whole story.
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There are 2 main complaints here. Over prescribing of medications and sexual misconduct. Does it not strike anyone else as odd that all these 6 complaints were made right around the same time? Isn't it that usually one or two people come forward to file a complaint and then once it hits the news, more "victims" tend to trickle in?
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And why is it that none of these complaints are criminal? "One patient said Duggal forced his tongue down her throat while placing his hand on her breasts." You mean to tell me that this patient went to the Dept of Health and filed a complaint but didn't go to the police? Another patient claims she had sex with him at his home. Was she forced to go to his home and have sex with him? Why is she coming forward NOW and complaining about this "unethical" rendezvous?
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Something seems fishy here.
@Tattooed_Angelthere are 12 patients that have come forward from 2009 to 2012. Â They are all independent complaints. Â The State of WA (DOH) cannot award anyone any money whatsoever. Â They can fine the doctor and/or suspend or revoke his/her license.Â
 @Tattooed_Angel Kind of wondering the same thing, why would anyone let him get close enough to put his tongue down their throat or touch a breast? also if she willing went to his house, I call that a willing participant, not a victim..
"I don't believe it because... I like him"Â This is the problem with peoples' judgment. Just because you like someone does not mean they can do no wrong.
@Willow It also is a bit early; wait for the full details before the witch hunt begins
that lip color looks funky ...
@Komo Dragon He forgot to wipe off his lipstick.... man, that color is ugly.
I would love to know whom to contact as eerily similar circumstance happened to me as well during the time that I was a patient of Dr. Duggal's. He is a perverted, deviant man who unfortuntatey exploits the weaknessess of his young, attractive, female patients. Â
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fittcica, It now seems that he made advances towards you. Please stop thinking so highly of yourself, how in the world did he  exploit you and your weaknessess? If this happened why in the world would you continue to go in to see him? Don't tell me that he had you under his control and you did not know what to do. You kept going back to see him, it seems since you are capable of working out and training you were not in pain. I don't know anyone who is a chronic pain being capable to do a fitness competion. Those of us who suffer on twenty four hrs. a day are lucky to be able to do some house work, walk etc.. If you are not an adult and do not know what to do if anyone makes any kind of advances towards you that you do not want, there is always the option to say NO leave me alone and don't see that person again.
@Jackson not everyone that went to Dr. Duggal was there for pain meds or pain control.. Some had him for a primary physician, diabetes, cholesterol or other.. NOT JUST PAIN CONTROL.. I agree Jackson.. .Fitticica should have complained way sooner or told someone sooner that could complain for you.. NEVER EVER let anyone take advantage of you.. hind sight..... YOUR body is your domain.... Dont let it be abused..
Why didn't you say something at the time this occured? Did you suddenly become weak during your visit or and he exploited you? Do you not know how to speak up if you feel that you are not being treated properly?Â
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@fittcica I am so sorry that happened to you. Probably, the place to start would be the group that is investigating him right now, the Department of Health's Medical Quality Assurance Commission. Also, I'd contact the AMA as well. Good luck. It looks like dahlbygirl has a link as well.
 @fittcica to file a complaint at http://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/MedicalCommission/MedicalResources/Complaints.aspx
from the news report there are possible two more that may be added to this claim.
I would further like to add that on several occasions, he had actually asked me out to dinner, called me on my cell phone(himself), and made several sexual advances towards me.  He also asked me to come to his house for "dinner" amd "working out" ( I train quite often when preparing for a fitness competition), and asked me to "train him".
    Shortly after leaving me several innapropriate text messages,(which I promtly showed to my mother and boyfriend, now husband), I found a different doctor and vever went back.
    To whomever below that stated that these girls "pobably just want money, let me tell you that it did in fact happen to me as well, and since I havent filed any complaints, obviously have nothing to gain! It is true that people aren't "forced" to take drugs; however, I do think that if a patient has a chronic illness and needs the prescription he is providing, she shouldn't be taken advantage of by her doctor that swore an oath to' First do no harm'. A doctor should first and foremost be someone that you can completely trust. Trust me when I say that it does not feel good to have your doctor put you in the awkward position of feeling dirty and verbally molested as you leave his office...
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@fittcica sure hope you kept said 'text messages'.. Just sayin.