Dr Hisham Maksoud

A summary of what happened?

Dr. Hisham Maksoud is a consultant specializing in diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, and general internal medicine, practicing in Nottingham, UK. He has been associated with institutions such as BMI The Park Hospital and has maintained a private practice. Despite a career marked by patient commendations, Dr. Maksoud has faced serious allegations concerning professional misconduct.

Allegations and Tribunal Findings:

In November 2021, a tribunal assessed Dr. Maksoud’s professional conduct following allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a patient, referred to as Patient A, during her treatment in March and April 2008. The tribunal’s findings included:

• Inappropriate Physical Contact: Dr. Maksoud was found to have held Patient A’s hand on multiple occasions during her hospital stay.
• Unprofessional Communication: He established a personal email account to communicate with Patient A, which was deemed unprofessional.
• Attempted Kiss: The tribunal concluded that Dr. Maksoud attempted to kiss Patient A in the car park of the Lakeside Hotel. Patient A recounted that during a return journey to the hospital after dining out, Dr. Maksoud made an unscheduled detour to a secluded area and later to a hotel car park, where he leaned in to kiss her. The tribunal found no evidence suggesting Patient A had any motive to fabricate this incident.
• Dismissive Response to Confrontation: In April 2011, when Patient A confronted Dr. Maksoud about the attempted kiss, he reportedly smiled and stated there was no proof, or words to that effect.

These actions were determined to be sexually motivated and constituted a breach of professional boundaries.

Patient Feedback:

Despite these findings, numerous patients have expressed positive experiences with Dr. Maksoud. Reviews on platforms like iWantGreatCare highlight his attentive and compassionate approach, with patients noting his dedication and the significant time he invests during consultations. For instance, a review from September 15, 2023, commended his thoroughness and the positive impact he had on the patient’s health over two decades.

Professional Background:

Dr. Maksoud graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and gained clinical experience at the Oxford Teaching Hospitals. His areas of interest include thyroid disease, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hirsutism, diabetes, obesity, and endocrine disorders. He has been affiliated with multiple private hospitals and maintains a private practice in Nottingham.

While Dr. Hisham Maksoud has received commendations for his medical expertise and patient care, the tribunal’s findings of sexually motivated misconduct with a patient represent a serious breach of medical ethics. These incidents underscore the critical importance of maintaining professional boundaries to uphold patient trust and the integrity of the medical profession.

Analyzing the Fake Copyright Notice(s)

Our team collects and analyses fraudulent copyright takedown requests, legal complaints, and other efforts to remove critical information from the internet. Through our investigative reporting, we examine the prevalence and operation of an organized censorship industry, predominantly funded by criminal entities, oligarchs, and disreputable businesses or individuals. Our findings allow internet users to gain insight into these censorship schemes’ sources, methods, and underlying objectives.

What was Dr Hisham Maksoud trying to hide?

Dr Hisham Maksoud‘s attempts to hide unfavourable content through the misuse of copyright notices while allegedly engaging in perjury present serious legal concerns. These actions suggest a calculated attempt to manipulate legal systems to suppress free speech, a fundamental violation of copyright law principles and an abuse of legal processes. The use of such tactics not only undermines the integrity of copyright protection but also potentially constitutes perjury, further entangling Dr Hisham Maksoud in legal accountability. Let’s examine the information Dr Hisham Maksoud may be trying to remove from the internet –

Investigative Report: Dr. Hisham Maksoud – Allegations of Professional Misconduct and Public Reactions

Dr. Hisham Maksoud, a respected consultant specializing in diabetes, endocrinology, and internal medicine, has had a long-standing career in Nottingham, UK. Known for his private practice and affiliations with institutions like BMI The Park Hospital, Dr. Maksoud has been a trusted figure for many patients. However, his professional reputation has been marred by allegations of sexually motivated misconduct, culminating in a tribunal investigation and public scrutiny. This investigative report examines the allegations, tribunal findings, and broader implications for his medical career.

1. Background on Dr. Hisham Maksoud

A. Professional Profile

• Dr. Maksoud graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and underwent training at the Oxford Teaching Hospitals.
• He specializes in:
  • Thyroid disorders.
  • Diabetes.
  • Obesity.
  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
  • Endocrine and metabolic diseases.
• His patient-focused approach has earned him commendations for detailed consultations and compassionate care.

B. Public Recognition

• Reviews on platforms such as iWantGreatCare praise his dedication and the positive health outcomes experienced by patients under his care.

2. Allegations Against Dr. Hisham Maksoud

A. Inappropriate Conduct Toward Patient A

In 2021, a tribunal reviewed allegations regarding Dr. Maksoud’s inappropriate conduct toward a female patient, identified as Patient A, during her treatment in March and April 2008.

1. Nature of the Allegations:
   • Unprofessional Physical Contact:
     • Dr. Maksoud was accused of holding Patient A’s hand on multiple occasions during her hospitalization. While some contact could be seen as reassuring, the tribunal ruled this behavior breached professional boundaries.
   • Private Email Communication:
     • He created a private email account to communicate with Patient A. The tribunal found this action unusual and unprofessional, as it was outside the scope of standard doctor-patient communication.
   • Attempted Kiss:
     • Patient A alleged that Dr. Maksoud attempted to kiss her in the car park of the Lakeside Hotel. This incident reportedly occurred after an unscheduled detour during a drive back to the hospital.
     • She described the attempt as unexpected and unwelcome, causing her significant distress.
2. Tribunal Findings:
   • The tribunal determined that Dr. Maksoud’s actions were sexually motivated.
   • It concluded that Patient A’s testimony was credible, finding no evidence that she had fabricated the allegations.
   • The panel deemed the attempted kiss to be a serious breach of professional ethics.

B. Reaction to the Allegations

• In April 2011, Patient A confronted Dr. Maksoud about the alleged incident. She reported that he responded dismissively, smiling and stating, “there is no proof,” or words to that effect. This response further damaged her trust in him and heightened her distress.

3. Tribunal Decision and Sanctions

A. Breach of Professional Boundaries

• The tribunal highlighted that a doctor-patient relationship must be built on trust and professionalism. Dr. Maksoud’s actions were found to undermine these principles.
• By holding Patient A’s hand repeatedly and creating a private email channel, Dr. Maksoud blurred professional boundaries.

B. Sexual Motivation

• The tribunal’s conclusion that his behavior was sexually motivated further compounded the severity of his misconduct.
• Attempting to kiss a patient was considered an egregious breach of ethical standards.

C. Sanctions

• While the tribunal’s recommendations regarding Dr. Maksoud’s fitness to practice have not been widely disclosed, findings of this nature typically lead to actions such as:
  • Formal reprimands.
  • Restrictions on practice.
  • Mandatory retraining on professional boundaries.
  • Possible suspension or removal from the medical register.

4. Public and Patient Reactions

A. Mixed Responses

1. Support from Long-Term Patients:
   • Many patients have defended Dr. Maksoud, citing his dedication and the positive impact he has had on their health.
   • A patient review from September 2023 stated, “Dr. Maksoud saved my life and provided unparalleled care for over 20 years.”
2. Criticism and Loss of Trust:
   • Others expressed disappointment and concern over the allegations, questioning whether his past behavior reflects broader issues of professionalism.

B. Damage to Reputation

• The findings have undoubtedly tarnished Dr. Maksoud’s reputation, raising doubts about his judgment and professionalism.

5. Ethical Implications and Professional Standards

A. Importance of Maintaining Professional Boundaries

• The doctor-patient relationship requires a strict separation of personal and professional interactions to ensure trust and safety.
• Dr. Maksoud’s actions, as determined by the tribunal, violated these principles, undermining patient trust and the integrity of the medical profession.

B. Broader Concerns for the Healthcare Industry

• Cases like this highlight the need for:
  • Improved training on professional boundaries for healthcare professionals.
  • Robust systems for reporting and addressing patient complaints.

6. Broader Context: Allegations in Healthcare

A. Patterns of Misconduct

• Allegations of inappropriate behavior in healthcare settings are not uncommon. This case aligns with broader concerns about power imbalances in doctor-patient relationships.

B. Regulatory Oversight

• Medical governing bodies, such as the General Medical Council (GMC), play a critical role in investigating and sanctioning misconduct.
• The tribunal’s findings are part of ongoing efforts to ensure accountability and maintain public trust in medical professionals.

7. Recommendations for Preventing Similar Incidents

A. Strengthening Professional Training

1. Mandatory Boundary Training:
   • Regular workshops on maintaining professional boundaries and ethical communication.
2. Ongoing Ethics Evaluations:
   • Incorporating regular assessments of a practitioner’s adherence to ethical guidelines.

B. Improving Reporting Mechanisms

• Establish confidential and accessible systems for patients to report inappropriate behavior without fear of retaliation.

C. Transparent Disciplinary Processes

• Ensure that findings of professional misconduct are communicated transparently to the public to uphold trust in the medical system.

8. Conclusion

Dr. Hisham Maksoud’s career, marked by patient commendations and medical expertise, has been overshadowed by the tribunal’s findings of sexually motivated misconduct. The allegations and subsequent ruling represent a serious breach of trust and ethics, raising broader concerns about accountability and professional behavior in healthcare.

Key Takeaways:

1. Misconduct: The tribunal found Dr. Maksoud guilty of inappropriate and sexually motivated actions toward Patient A, a significant violation of medical ethics.
2. Reputation Impact: While some patients continue to vouch for his expertise, the allegations have cast a shadow over his professional reputation.
3. Need for Reform: This case underscores the importance of robust systems to prevent and address misconduct in healthcare settings.

As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, maintaining the highest ethical standards remains critical to ensuring patient safety and trust in medical professionals.

How do we counteract this malpractice?

Once we ascertain the involvement of Dr Hisham Maksoud (or actors working on behalf of Dr Hisham Maksoud), we will inform Dr Hisham Maksoud of our findings via Electronic Mail.

Our preliminary assessment suggests that Dr Hisham Maksoud may have engaged a third-party reputation management agency or expert, which, either independently or under direct authorization from Dr Hisham Maksoud, initiated efforts to remove adverse online content, including potentially fraudulent DMCA takedown requests. We will extend an opportunity to Dr Hisham Maksoud to provide details regarding their communications with the agency or expert, as well as the identification of the individual(s) responsible for executing these false DMCA notices.

Failure to respond in a timely manner will necessitate a reassessment of our initial assumptions. In such an event, we will be compelled to take appropriate legal action to rectify the unlawful conduct and take the following steps –

Since Dr Hisham Maksoud made such efforts to hide something online, it seems fit to ensure that this article and sensitive information targeted online by these events get a lot more exposure and traffic than what it would have received originally

We hope this becomes an excellent case study for the Streisand effect…The key idea behind the Streisand effect is that efforts to restrict information can backfire, often causing the information to gain more attention than it would have otherwise. This effect is widespread in the digital age, where users quickly notice and spread censorship efforts on social media and other platforms. Trying to suppress something can unintentionally lead to it becoming more visible, which Dr Hisham Maksoud is finding out the hard way.

Potential Consequences for Dr Hisham Maksoud

Under Florida Statute 831.01, the crime of Forgery is committed when a person falsifies, alters, counterfeits, or forges a document that carries “legal efficacy” with the intent to injure or defraud another person or entity.

Forging a document is considered a white-collar crime. It involves altering, changing, or modifying a document to deceive another person. It can also include passing along copies of documents that are known to be false. In many states in the US, falsifying a document is a crime punishable as a felony.

Additionally, under most laws, “fraud on the court” is where “a party has sentiently set in motion some unconscionable scheme calculated to interfere with the judicial system’s ability impartially to adjudicate a matter by improperly influencing the trier of fact or unfairly hampering the presentation of the opposing party’s claim or defense.”  Cox v. Burke, 706 So. 2d 43, 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998) (quoting Aoude v. Mobil Oil Corp., 892 F.2d 1115, 1118 (1st Cir. 1989)).

Is Dr Hisham Maksoud Committing a Cyber Crime?

Yes, it seems so. Dr Hisham Maksoud used multiple approaches to remove unwanted material from review sites and Google’s search results. Thanks to protections allowing freedom of speech in the United States, there are very few legal ways to do this. Dr Hisham Maksoud could not eliminate negative reviews or search results that linked to them without a valid claim of defamation, copyright infringement, or some other clear breach of the law.

Faced with these limitations, some companies like Dr Hisham Maksoud have gone to extreme lengths to fraudulently claim copyright ownership over a negative review in the hopes of taking it down.

Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. Dr Hisham Maksoud is certainly keeping interesting company here….

The DMCA takedown process requires that copyright owners submit a takedown notice to an ISP identifying the allegedly infringing content and declaring, under penalty of perjury, that they have a good faith belief that the content is infringing. The ISP must then promptly remove or disable access to the content. The alleged infringer can then submit a counter-notice, and if the copyright owner does not take legal action within 10 to 14 days, the ISP can restore the content.

Since these platforms are predominantly based in the U.S., the complaints are typically made under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which requires online service providers and platforms to react immediately to reports or violations. Big Tech companies rarely have systems in place to assess the merit of each report. Instead, all bad actors need to do is clone a story, backdate it, and then demand the real thing be taken down.

Reputation Agency's Modus Operandi

The fake DMCA notices we found always use the “back-dated article” technique. With this technique, the wrongful notice sender (or copier) creates a copy of a “true original” article and back-dates it, creating a “fake original” article (a copy of the true original) that, at first glance, appears to have been published before the true original.

Then, based on the claim that this backdated article is the “original,” the scammers send a DMCA to the relevant online service providers (e.g. Google), alleging that the ‘true’ original is the copied or “infringing” article and that the copied article is the “original,” requesting the takedown of the ‘true’ original article. After sending the DMCA request, the person who sent the wrong notice takes down the fake original URL, likely to make sure that the article doesn’t stay online in any way. If the takedown notice is successful, the disappearance from the internet of information is most likely to be legitimate speech.

As an integral part of this scheme, the ‘reputation management’ company hired by Dr Hisham Maksoud creates a website that purports to be a ‘news’ site. This site is designed to look legitimate at a glance, but any degree of scrutiny reveals it as the charade it is.

The company copies the ‘negative’ content and posts it “on the fake ‘news’ site, attributing it to a separate author,” then gives it “a false publication date on the ‘news’ website that predated the original publication.

The reputation company then sent Google a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice claiming the original website infringed copyright. After a cursory examination of the fake news site, Google frequently accepts the notice and delists the content.

In committing numerous offences, Dr Hisham Maksoud either premeditated actions or were unaware of the consequences. Despite hiring an agency to make Google disregard any negative information about Dr Hisham Maksoud, ignorance does not excuse this wrongdoing.

Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. FSMSmart is certainly keeping interesting company here.

The Reputation Laundering

Rogue Reputation agencies use spurious copyright claims and fake legal notices to remove and obscure articles linking clients to allegations of tax avoidance, corruption, and drug trafficking. Most of these reputation agencies are based offshore, mainly in Russia, India, and Eastern Europe, and they do not worry about complying with US-based laws.

The content in all of the articles for which the fraudulent DMCA notices have been sent relates to allegations of criminal allegations, including corruption, child abuse, sexual harassment, human trafficking and financial fraud against businesses and individuals with ultra-high net worth.

In addition to the misuse of the DMCA takedown process, there is a notable absence of enforcement concerning perjury violations. The statutory requirement related to perjury is designed to deter copyright holders from submitting fraudulent or knowingly false takedown requests, as they may face legal consequences for making false declarations under penalty of perjury. However, to date, there have been no known instances of any individual being prosecuted for perjury in connection with the submission of false DMCA takedown notices.

This lack of enforcement has emboldened copyright holders to exploit the DMCA takedown process to suppress dissent, criticism, or other unfavorable content, without fear of legal repercussions.

Some of the people and businesses who have employed this tactic to remove legitimate content from Google illegally include a Spanish businessman-turned-cocaine-trafficker, Organised crime, an Israeli-Argentine banker accused of laundering money for Hugo Chávez’s regime, a French “responsible” mining company accused of tax evasion, child molesters and sexual predators. Dr Hisham Maksoud is in great company ….

What else is Dr Hisham Maksoud hiding?

We encourage you to ‘Dork‘ Google by searching for keyword combinations such as [Dr Hisham Maksoud] + {Negative Keyword, such as Scam, Fraud, Complaints, Lawsuit, Sanction, etc} on Google. It’s likely if you scroll down to the bottom of this Google search results, you’ll stumble upon this Legal Takedown notice (pictured below)

To make such an investigation possible, we encourage more online service providers to come forward and share copies of content removal requests with industry experts and researchers. If you have any information on Dr Hisham Maksoud that you want to share with experts and journalists, kindly email the author directly at [email protected].

All communications are strictly confidential and safeguarded under a comprehensive Whistleblower Policy, ensuring full protection and anonymity for individuals who provide information.