A Virginia doctor has been arrested for allegedly performing hysterectomies and sterilising women without their consent.

According to the Virginian Pilot, Dr Javaid Perwaiz, 69, performed surgeries on more than 500 of his low-income Medicaid patients between 2014 and 2018.

In one instance, a patient had been concerned about an irregular pap smear, which Dr Perwaiz had said could indicate precancerous cells. Though he recommended a hysterectomy, the patient elected to have a less invasive surgery instead. Dr Perwaiz performed the hysterectomy anyway. In the process, he perforated her bladder and left her with sepsis that necessitated six extra days in the hospital.

The patient’s medical records said nothing about precancerous cells being found in her uterus.

In another case, he burnt a woman’s fallopian tubes down to almost nothing without telling her at all. After spending years trying to conceive a child a fertility specialist discovered that Dr Perwaiz’s surgery had left the patient forever unable to bear children naturally.

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This is not the first time that Dr Perwaiz’s practice has been called into question. According to the Pilot, he was flagged for performing unnecessary surgeries as early as 1982, according to court documents. He has been the subject of eight malpractice lawsuits and, in 1996, his medical licence was temporarily revoked after he was convicted of tax fraud.

Federal prosecutors charged him with health care fraud and making false statements relating to health care matters.

The case was brought to the FBI’s attention by staff at one of the hospitals where Dr Perwaiz practised, Bon Secours Maryview Medical Centre and Chesapeake Regional Medical Centre. According to an affidavit, Dr Perwaiz would say his patients were coming in for their “annual clean out”, and that many patients didn’t even know what they were going into surgery for.