The College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick says it thoroughly reviewed a 2022 Quebec regulator’s decision to revoke the privileges of a family doctor who was found to have fraudulently obtained his medical license in Quebec.
But the New Brunswick college says it found no reason to take similar measures and allowed Sanjeev Sirpal to continue practising and subsequently work in Nova Scotia through the Atlantic Registry, an interprovincial licensing program. Dr. Sirpal is now alleged to have sexually assaulted patients in both provinces.
As Canada considers introducing greater mobility for physicians between provinces, the situation in the Maritimes highlights the need for a national physician database with information about disciplined doctors, according to Laurentian University professor Elizabeth Wenghofer.
New Brunswick college registrar and CEO Laurie Potter said their “thorough review” into the Quebec decision included examining its basis, which found Dr. Sirpal provided false information about his professional background when applying for his medical license. The decision said Dr. Sirpal failed to disclose that he had previously been dismissed from the University of Miami medical school in 2008 for unethical conduct.
Dr. Sirpal, 39, graduated from medical school in Saint Lucia in 2013. Three years later, he moved to Quebec where he completed residencies in family medicine and public health, and was granted a licence to practise in the province in 2019.
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The Quebec college decision says it began investigating Dr. Sirpal following three notifications alleging concerns with his “professional conduct.” The notifications are not explicitly detailed in the decision, but they are identified by an exhibit number and are public documents available through the regulator. Two of the documents describe how a female patient complained of inappropriate behaviour from Dr. Sirpal who was alleged to have examined her breasts and genitalia when she asked him to treat her for a head injury.
Dr. Potter said regulatory officials determined the concerns identified in Quebec were not present in Dr. Sirpal’s licensure application in New Brunswick.
“At that time, to the college’s knowledge, Dr. Sirpal was not the subject of any active complaints relating to sexual abuse, nor was he the subject of any criminal charges,” Dr. Potter wrote in response to questions from The Globe. “The council of the college determined, based on the information available at the time and in accordance with regulatory processes, that there were insufficient grounds in 2022 to take any measures with respect to Dr. Sirpal’s licence.”
Dr. Sirpal was subsequently recommended by the New Brunswick college to join the Atlantic Registry, the country’s first interprovincial physician licensing program, which allowed him to work in Nova Scotia.
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After a complaint in March, 2025, the New Brunswick college placed restrictions on Dr. Sirpal, including that he needed a chaperone when examining genitals or breasts. As a result he was taken off the Atlantic Registry.
Four months later, based on new information, the college suspended Dr. Sirpal pending the outcome of an investigation. He now faces six sexual assault charges, involving six alleged victims dating from last year to August, 2025, at New Brunswick’s Sackville Memorial Hospital and Edmundston Regional Hospital, and Nova Scotia’s Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre.
The sexual assault allegations against Dr. Sirpal have not been tested in court. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
In response to the case of Dr. Sirpal, the four regulatory colleges in Atlantic Canada are now reviewing licensing procedures of the Atlantic Registry.
Prof. Wenghofer, who specializes in medical regulation and was the lead author of a 2025 report evaluating the Atlantic Registry for the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada, says the registry’s five criteria for eligibility should have screened out Dr. Sirpal.
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They include: a full licence in doctor’s home jurisdiction, no licensing sanction, no complaint which has been referred to a disciplinary panel, no monitoring, and no other serious issues identified by the registrar of a college.
“If the physician lies then that’s problematic,” said Prof. Wenghofer. “Obviously something went terribly awry here.”
At the time Dr. Sirpal joined the Atlantic Registry in September, 2023, he had been charged criminally in Quebec with allegedly assaulting his former girlfriend and allegedly trying to get her to forge a document to obstruct the investigation that led to him losing his license.
The New Brunswick college said it could not respond to questions about how it deemed Dr. Sirpal suitable to recommend for the Atlantic Registry, saying it could jeopardize the integrity of their own investigation.
Prof. Wenghofer said the case highlights the need to fast track a national physician database to ensure comprehensive information about disciplined doctors is shared among provinces.
“The main problem is, when we’re talking about any sort of interprovincial licensure, is how information flows,” she said. “I think this really egregious case demonstrates that if we’re going to be scaling this up on a national basis, we need a national database where all this information is put in place.”
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The United States has had a database for decades to prevent incompetent or disciplined practitioners from moving between states without disclosure of their past performance.
And while the Canadian government and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) have been progressing toward greater mobility for physicians between provinces, the federal health minister’s office says patient welfare needs to continue to be taken into account.
“As we work towards improved labour mobility of medical professionals across Canada, we will always ensure that we are balancing reducing barriers with supporting public safety and patient well-being,” Emmanuelle Ducharme, a spokesperson for Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel, wrote in a statement to The Globe.
A strong advocate for pan-Canadian licensure, the CMA continues to hold up the Atlantic Registry as a model for expansion, despite the case of Dr. Sirpal. Spokesperson Eric Lewis said it’s “essential that robust screening is implemented to ensure professional standards of conduct and patient safety and well-being are adhered to.”
In its advocacy for multi-jurisdictional licensure, the CMA has consistently called for strong safeguards to evaluate physicians, including criminal background checks, said Mr. Lewis.
Dr. Sirpal’s next court appearances on the sexual assault charges are Dec. 16 in Edmundston, N.B. and Dec. 22 in Amherst, N.S. The Mounties say they believe there are more victims, including in Quebec.