November 16, 2025: Dr. Sanjeev Sirpal, 38, a doctor who worked in emergency rooms across three Canadian provinces named Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick is now facing six criminal charges of sexual assault. He was first arrested by the Cumberland County District, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on August 14, 2025, and charged with one count of sexual assault. Following additional patient complaints, he was arrested for the second time on November 4, 2025, and charged with five more counts.
The charges related to incidents that allegedly occurred while Sirpal was examining patients in hospital emergency rooms in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Cumberland County District RCMP charged Sirpal with sexual assault after receiving a complaint in May 2025 because of alleged sexual assault that occurred during an emergency room visit at Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre in Upper Nappan near Amherst, Nova Scotia, in January 2025. Sirpal was then arrested in August 2025.
After the initial arrest became public, more patients contacted authorities. On November 4, Sirpal was arrested again and charged with five additional counts of sexual assault, as per an RCMP statement released on November 14. He has been released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on November 17 in Amherst and February 27 in Moncton.
Sirpal has worked in emergency rooms in multiple locations including Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia:
New Brunswick: Hired by Vitalité Health Network in 2022, worked at Edmundston Regional Hospital until August 28, 2025, when his employment was terminated
Nova Scotia: Worked temporary shifts in emergency departments from September 2023 to March 2025, as part of the Atlantic Registry, which allowed physicians to work across the region without having to apply for licensure in each province. He was not a permanent employee.
Quebec: Admitted to the College of Physicians in April 2019 and began working for the Montreal North health and social services centre (CIUSSS du Nord de l'Île de Montréal) until his medical license was revoked in October 2022
He is no longer employed at any hospital and his medical license has been suspended in New Brunswick.
Before moving to the Atlantic provinces, Sirpal lost his right to practice medicine in Quebec.
“At the time Quebec revoked his license, Dr. Sirpal was already licensed and had been working in New Brunswick for several months,” said Dr. Laurie Potter, the registrar and CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick.
When applying for his Quebec medical license in 2019, Sirpal was asked on the College of Physicians registration form if he had ever been found guilty of misconduct by a post-secondary institution. He answered "no."
However, the regulatory board's investigation uncovered that he had been:
Dismissed from the University of Miami in 2008 following allegations of misconduct and ethical issues
Expelled from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he had been enrolled in a PhD program in biochemistry and molecular biology
The board found that Sirpal had "systematically concealed facts" and "knowingly provided inaccurate information on his antics on various American university campuses."
Sirpal's defense argued that he answered questions "to the best of his knowledge" and believed the limitations of the registration form meant he only needed to report issues after graduating from Spartan Health Sciences University School of Medicine in St. Lucia in 2013.
His counsel stated "he cannot be blamed for having made a poor analysis of the form."
The regulatory board rejected this defense, ruling that he had committed fraud. The college found that "the respondent's deceptions and half-truths 'corrupted' the process of his admission to the profession" and permanently revoked his license in October 2022.
Documents from the Quebec proceedings also revealed earlier complaints:
2020 Complaint: A woman who visited a Montreal clinic for a head injury alleged that Sirpal performed unnecessary vaginal and breast examinations. She said he told her she might have an ovarian cyst and that he should check her breasts as well. The patient stated she felt "very taken advantage of in a vulnerable state" and that these exams weren't documented in her medical records.
When questioned, Sirpal denied performing these examinations and said the allegations were "completely false."
2019 Complaint: In 2019, while he was training as a resident physician at the time at the Integrated University Health and Social Services Centres of East Montreal Island, a mom said he touched her teenage daughter sexually during a check-up. He claimed he only did a quick visual look for suspected genital herpes. A review board looked into it and decided in 2020 that the mom's story didn't fully add up, so they called it "unfounded.”
When Quebec revoked Sirpal's license in 2022, he had already been hired and working in New Brunswick.
Dr. Laurie Potter, head of New Brunswick's College of Physicians and Surgeons, explained that they received positive feedback about his work and decided to let him continue practicing.
In March 2025, New Brunswick placed restrictions on his license requiring him to:
Have another person present during any intimate physical examinations
Explain to patients why the examination is necessary and document who was present
The college said these restrictions were not related to the current criminal charges.
Sirpal was also able to work in Nova Scotia through the "Atlantic Registry" - a system that lets doctors work across Atlantic Canada without getting separate licenses in each province.
Police: Authorities in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are actively investigating and believe there may be more victims. "Investigators appreciate the courage that it takes for someone to come forward," said Cst. Heather Lourie, Cumberland County Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit.
Politicians: Nova Scotia MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin has called for more transparency, asking what health authorities knew about Sirpal's background and why he was allowed to continue working.
Health Officials: New Brunswick Health Minister Dr. John Dornan said the public should have confidence in the healthcare system, noting there are "very strict reviewing processes" for healthcare workers.
He declined to speak to the criminal allegations in Nova Scotia and how much the province knew about Sirpal’s background prior to hiring him.
If you believe you may have been affected, police encourage you to come forward. You can speak with police about what happened before deciding whether to participate in a formal investigation.
Contact Information:
Cumberland County District RCMP: 902-667-3859
Sackville RCMP Detachment: 506-533-5151
Edmundston Police: 506-739-6100
Police use a "trauma-informed approach" for sexual assault investigations, meaning they are trained to be sensitive to the impact of trauma.
The investigation is ongoing, and Sirpal's cases will proceed through the courts in the coming months.
(Rh/VK)