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A Grande Prairie surgeon who fostered a “culture of fear and distrust” by frequently complaining and threatening legal action against colleagues has been banned from practising medicine for at least two years and ordered to pay more than $700,000.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Ghamdi’s combative behaviour and failure to co-operate with coworkers made him a “disruptive” force to health services over a decade at the Queen Elizabeth II hospital, a tribunal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta ruled.

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“This is a sad case because Dr. Al-Ghamdi’s lack of insight into his behaviour, and his refusal to accept responsibility for the impact of his actions, has impacted his practice as an orthopedic surgeon — a profession for which he has spent years training, cares about deeply and is skilled in practising,” the tribunal wrote in its December 2017 decision, which was made public this week.

The ruling came after a disciplinary hearing that lasted almost two years, required more than 40 days of testimony, and cost more than $1 million to conduct — making it the most expensive hearing in the college’s history.